


Devil Spawn

by dorky_hime



Category: Glee
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-02 08:44:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 43,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4053817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorky_hime/pseuds/dorky_hime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She hates him. All she remembered from their childhood was how he had made her life miserable. However, he loves her. He's been in love with her ever since they were children - marrying her doll and action figure. Distance separated them but now that he's back, he was ready to court her. No more hiding his feeling by bullying her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Devil Spawn is Back

**Twelve years ago**

_They were two peas in a pod. Ever since they were born, they were always together. Sam and Mercedes were rarely being apart from each other. Their parents were best friends and naturally, they were each other best friends too. However, when they were five years old, Burt Hummel and his son moved into town. Sam and Mercedes were soon joined with Kurt since somehow; Devon Jones and Dwight Evans had bonded with Burt and welcomed him into their tight little group. The addition of Kurt into their friendship marked the beginning of the beginning of the hellish years in Mercedes' life._

_Mercedes and Kurt bonded through dolls and tea party that Sam had never really understood. Often, he was being rejected when he insisted that they played with his action figures instead of the dolls. Thus, it led to him being angry at Kurt for snatching his Mimi and at Mercedes for choosing someone new instead of him. It all started when he found a pair of scissors in the kitchen cabinet. He hid it in his backpack – the one that he always carrying around and cut Mercedes' Barbie Doll's hair with it. He was hoping that Mercedes would stop playing with Kurt and the dolls once her doll was ruined. He watched as Mercedes wailed and cried once she saw her 'Belle' tragic condition – all the time hoping that she would be running toward him. To his dismay, Mercedes went toward Kurt and both of them cried over the tragic fate of Belle's beautiful hair. That day, Sam went back home with a foul mood. Mary Evans noticed the sour face of his son as she picked him up at the kindergarten. Unlike every other day, Sam hopped into the car without saying goodbye to his best friend._

_"Aren't you going to hug Cedes and say goodbye to her like usual?" Mary asked. Sam just pouted and crossed his arms and brought them to his chest and huffed._

_"Okay, no goodbye then" Mary muttered as she started driving._

* * *

_Sam was plotting many ways to gain back Mercedes' attention. He hated being in the sidelines – watching the happy scenes between Mercedes and Kurt. They were rarely spending time together anymore. He was disappointed when he went to the Jones' house and was told that Mercedes and Kurt were having a sleepover at Kurt's house. He went back home with disappointment. It was the moment when Sam realized that he needed to do something so that Mercedes would notice him again._

* * *

_Sam was sitting at the corridor, brooding as he watched Kurt and Mercedes playing together. A loud scream disturbed his concentration. His attention was brought to Puck who was arguing with Quinn at the slide. Puck was disturbing Quinn by pulling her ponytail and Sam got his answer. In order to make Mercedes to notice him again, he needed to harass her – just like what Puck did to Quinn. Due to his continuance disturbing her, Quinn forgot about her friends and kept her attention at Puck. Sam grinned as he started to plot something in his little mind._

_Mercedes hated his former best friend. Sam had turned out to be a monster. She didn't know what had happened but the Sammy that she liked was gone. He had become close with Puckerman and every time he saw her, he would always pull her ponytail or made fun of her. Therefore, Mercedes had made a decision that she would always ignore Sam. She had spent most of her times with Kurt, playing dolls and having tea parties together._

_"Cedes!" Kurt shouted as he saw her. Mercedes quickly waved and smiled widely at him. Kurt ran and hugged her._

_"You look pretty!" he said._

_"It's a new dress. Grandma bought it for me" Mercedes said as she twirled around, showing her dress. Then, out of nowhere, Sam appeared and bumped into her, making her fell into the mud puddle nearby._

_"Oh no! Cedes, are you okay?" Kurt said as he helped her._

_"My dress is ruined!" Mercedes cried. They looked at Sam who was grinning at them._

_"You should apologize to Cedes!" Kurt said._

_"Why? It's her fault for standing there!" Sam said, shrugging as he turned and walked away. Mercedes looked at him with hatred in her eyes and walked back to her home with Kurt._

_Mercedes never thought that she would learn about hatred in such an early age but one Samuel Evans had thought her that. She was playing dolls with Kurt – pretending that their dolls were married. Then, out of nowhere, Sam came and poured some water colour on their dolls, thus ruining the white gown that her doll wore._

_"Ops, sorry!" Sam said before running away with an evil grin. At that moment, Mercedes knew that Sam Evans was a devil in disguise. She huffed and took her doll to the nearby faucet and washed it while cursing the devil's spawn._

_Janine noticed that Mercedes seemed to be coming out with lots of excuses to skip school. When she asked her daughter about it, she said nothing and she would solemnly get ready to school. Therefore, she decided to ask Kurt about it when the kid came for their customary play date._

_"Kurt, do you know what troubling Cedes? She seems to be upset about something but she didn't want to tell me about it"_

_"Kids at school are always calling her names"_

_"Names?" Janine asked with a frown. Kurt nodded._

_"Names like Chubby Chubbs and Mimi GummyBear"_

_The day that the Evans moved away was definitely the best day of Mercedes' life. Sure, she was sad to be away from Ma and Pa Evans but she was over the moon by the fact that Sam won't be ruining her life anymore. The Joneses were at the Evans' house, saying goodbye to them. She saw Sam walking toward her and she immediately felt wary – thinking what he would do to her._

_"Bye, Mimi!" he said and to everybody surprised, he leaned forward and kissed her lips. Mercedes was stunned with his sudden action. The adults looked at each other with knowing smiles._

* * *

**2014**

Mercedes was on her way down the stairs when she heard her mother talking to the phone. She caught the end of the conversation consisted of 'can't wait to meet you' and 'It's been a while'.

"Are we having some guests tonight?" She asked her mother who seemed very excited. Janine Jones gave her daughter a wide smile.

"That's Mary. They are on the way" she said. Mercedes frowned.

"Mary?" she asked, confused.

"Mary Evans"

Mercedes nodded. Of course she knew the Evans – Mary and Dwight Evans, her parents' best friends since college. They used to live next door but moved to Nashville around 12 years ago. Despite the distance, the families would occasionally visit each other. The last time she met the Evans was four years ago.

"Oh, are they here for a visit?" Mercedes asked. She loved Mary and Dwight. Besides, some years ago, the couple had gotten a twin and she adored them.

"Didn't you know, Cedes? They're moving back here – into their old house since Mrs. Harold is moving to France with her son. I'm sure you'll be happy to have them as our neighbor again. Remember? You used to play around with Sammy"

Mercedes' eyes went wide at the mention of the one name that she hated the most. Mary and Dwight Evans were lovely people. However, their eldest son was another story. Growing up together, they used to be best friends – until Sam had turned into a beast and made her life a living nightmare.

"I need to go" Mercedes said and quickly walked out of the house.

* * *

She drove to the Hummel's house and parked her car. After locking her car, Mercedes went and knocked on the door. A moment later, the door was opened and she was met with a frowning Kurt.

"He's back!" Mercedes blurted. Kurt frowned deeper as he took in her friend's weird appearance.

"Who's back?" Kurt asked but didn't wait for an answer when he noticed the panic in her eyes. He reached for her hand and dragged Mercedes into his room. He then went to take some water to her.

"Here" Kurt said, handing a glass to her. Mercedes took it and drank the water in a go before giving the empty glass to Kurt.

"Take a deep breath, let it go and tell me what make you all jittery like this"

She did as Kurt said and then looked at him.

"He's back! The devil spawn is back!" Mercedes said. Kurt frowned. He didn't really understand what his best friend was talking about.

"Devil spawn, who?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes, exasperatedly. "Samuel Devil Spawn Evans is back in town!" she said. Kurt looked at her with wide eyes.

"You meant your old neighbor?"

Mercedes nodded. Kurt finally understood the reason behind the near panic attack just now. He sat on the bed, next to Mercedes.

"God, he was really horrible. I still remembered what he did to our dolls. Poor Belle and Aurora" he said, thinking about the dolls that Sam had cut the hair. Mercedes nodded. She still remembered how Sam had pushed her into a mud puddle and ruined her new dress – or how he had splashed some watercolor on her doll's wedding dress. Thinking about all the bad things that he had done to her had made her blood boiled with rage.

"Ugh, I hate him! I don't understand how great and kind people like Mary and Dwight have a devil spawn as a child?"

"It's not their fault that Blondie is evil" Kurt shrugged his shoulders. He looked at Mercedes and then, frowned. "I thought you and him were civil? I mean – your family went to Nashville before, and all you talked about was how you miss Mary and Dwight or how cute the twins are"

"No, we're not! He wasn't around when we visited. Sam Devil Spawn Evans was in a private boarding school, so, I didn't see him and I am really grateful for it. The last time I saw him was when we went to Disney World together when we were nine. I've been living a good and peaceful live and now, everything will be ruined!" Mercedes whined. Kurt rolled his eyes. Being a diva also meant that Mercedes Jones was quite a drama queen, sometimes. Her phone rang and Mercedes quickly answered it.

"Hey, Mom!" she said. "No, I can't go back for dinner. Kurt and I are working on a song for Glee Club. Mr. Schue had just emailed us the assignment for tomorrow"

"Lying to Momma Jones,  _really_? We don't have any Glee's assignment!" Kurt said as he side-eyeing her. Mercedes sighed as she lay down on Kurt's bed.

"The Evans is coming over for dinner and I am definitely not ready to face that devil spawn yet. The only way to get out of it is lying" Mercedes mumbled.

"If you're going to stay for dinner, you need to help me cook! Let's go!" Kurt said, giving his hand for her to take. Mercedes took it and they headed to the kitchen.

* * *

Disappointment was an understatement when Sam noticed that Mercedes wasn't home when they arrived. He was looking forward to meet her. It's been years since they last met each other. The one time that the Joneses went to visit them in Nashville, he was stuck at school. All he saw were pictures of her when she was thirteen. He felt a pang of jealousy when Janine said that Mercedes was at the Hummel's house when his mother asked about her. Sam was over the moon when his father told the family that they were moving back to Lima, Ohio and the only reason for it was Mercedes Jones. To know that she was still hanging around with Kurt 'parasite' Hummel made him jealous but he knew that it was inevitable. Mercedes and Kurt were really close and it won't be a surprised if they were still close now. When Janine invited his family for dinner, he was excited – thinking that he would finally meet Mercedes. Yet, he was met with another disappointment when she was nowhere around.

"Where's Mercedes?" Stacey asked – voicing out the question that Sam was too shy to ask.

"She's at the Hummel. Apparently, she and Kurt have to work over a sudden Glee's assignment for tomorrow" Janine explained.

"Glee?" Stevie asked. Janine nodded, smiling at the seven years old boy.

"Glee Club. It's a show choir club"

_Glee Club, huh? That's definitely a club that I'll join_ , Sam thought. He was deep in his thought that he didn't even listen to the question that Devon asked him. It was when Dwight nudged him that he realized that they were staring at him. He smiled bashfully as he asked Devon to repeat his question.

"You're enrolling into McKinley's high? Or Dalton?" Devon asked.

"McKinley. I want to try attending a public school, for a change" Sam answered. The main reason he decided to attend McKinley was because he knew that Mercedes was there. Devon nodded.

"Good. I heard you played football and God knows that the Titans need a good player in it. The team hadn't won any single match in two years!"

* * *

Sam walked into his room and looked around it. It was his old room, years ago. He still remembered playing with Mercedes in it. Pretending to marry her doll and his action figure. He reached for a box that was filled with his comic collection and began arranging them in the bookshelves. Once finished, he sat on his study chair, twirling the chair around as he admired his work on his old/new room. It was then, when he heard a song blasting through his window. He stopped twirling and fixed his eyes on his window – staring directly into the room opposite of his. A smile magically appeared on his face when he noticed that it was Mercedes' room. His eyes went wide when he realized what she was doing – Mercedes Jones was changing her clothes! When she took off her top, revealing her half naked body, Sam fell down off his chair with a loud thud _. Fuck, Mercedes Jones had grown up to be an extremely gorgeous lady,_  he thought, chuckling when he realized that he might have trouble sleeping with the image that he had just seen.

 


	2. Audition

The morning had started in a bad way for Mercedes. Her parents kept on talking about Sam ever since she joined them for breakfast. She just partially listened to her parents. Once done with breakfast, she kissed them and off to school. She met with Kurt at the parking lot and they walked hand in hand toward the door.

"Mimi!"

Mercedes froze when she heard the old nickname that nobody had ever called her since a certain blonde left the town. Kurt looked at his best friend, frowning. He turned to look at their back and saw a blonde guy was smiling widely at them. Before he managed to say anything, he was pulled by Mercedes who was running into the hallway and went straight into the toilet.

Sam was beyond excited to start school. He would finally meet Mercedes Jones – face to face since they would be in the same school. He had everything planned. He would go early to school, wait for Mercedes to appear and talked to her. He decided to have breakfast in his car instead of at home. He was munching his sandwich when he saw Mercedes. He immediately finished eating and grabbed his bag. He saw her walked to a guy – who he concluded as Kurt Parasite Hummel and hugged his arm. Sam scowled at the scene but he shrugged his jealousy off. He shouted her nickname and he could visibly see her froze. With a wide grin, he stood behind her and watched as she turned to look at him. He was about to approach her when Mercedes suddenly took Kurt's hand and ran away – something that he didn't expect her to do. Sighing, Sam walked to the school's office.

* * *

"Cedes, what the hell?" Kurt asked once they were both in the female toilet. Mercedes rested her back on the toilet's walls.

"Who was that guy? He is looking mighty fine! How could you hide him from me?" Kurt babbled. Mercedes rolled her eyes.

"You don't recognize him?" she asked incredulously. Kurt frowned. He stopped his babble on the mysterious guy's hotness and started thinking. In a minute, his eyes went wide as he looked at her.

"Devil Spawn?! God, I forgot that he used to call you that. Damn, puberty definitely did an extremely good job on him. That guy looks like a real life Adonis!"

Mercedes groaned. She admitted that the devil spawn was good looking, but she won't tell Kurt that.

"Stoner Brett is ten times handsome than he is!" she groaned. Kurt looked at her liked she had grown another head.

"Diva, your eyes are broken. Must be because you kept on staring at the zebra pattern carpet in your room" he spat.

* * *

_School was okay_ , Sam thought. He made a friend in his AP Chemistry class – Mike Chang. He told Sam that he played football and in Glee Club. Sam grinned when he heard it. He was dying to ask about Mercedes, but he was afraid that Mike might think that he was a creeper if he dug information about her right away. It was lunch and he sat around a bunch of people that he didn't even know. It was then when he heard music and the opening for the 'Empire State of Mind'. He saw Mercedes, Kurt and Mike with a group of unknown students which he concluded as the Glee Club's members. Without wasting any time, Sam immediately asked around about the Glee Club. He was a man on a mission and he would do everything he could to accomplished it.

* * *

Mr. Schuester was excited to welcome his students back for the new semester. He had planned for them to perform the song during lunch since Glee still needed a new member. Even though they managed to get to the National, they only managed to get the twelve places and it wasn't enough to attract new members. So, when a kid came and told him that he was interested to join Glee, Schuester wasn't even hesitated to ask him to audition. The result of it pleased him to no end. He was practically jumping into the choir room.

"Guys, I have great news!" he said. "We have a new member! Please welcome, Sam Evans!"

Mercedes' eyes went wide when she heard the name. They were wider once she saw him strutting into the room with a wide smile.

"No!" she bellowed out – startling everybody else. "I – I mean, can he sing? We cannot just accept anybody in" she said and she was relieved when some of the Glee Club member expressed their agreement.

"Sam did audition before and believe me – he can sing. That's why he was accepted into Glee" Mr. Schue explained.

"Well, I won't accept it without hearing his voice. I don't trust you for not accepting just everybody because we desperately need a twelve member" Mercedes countered back. Mr. Schuester was about to say something when Sam beat him to it. Without saying anything, he went to take a guitar from the one of the bands member and started playing the chords to Billionaire.

_I wanna be a billionairle so freakin' bad_

_Buy all of the things I never had_

_I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine_

_Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen_

_Oh, every time I close my eyes_

_I see my name in shining lights_

_Yeah, a different city every night_

_Oh, I swear the world better prepare_

_For when I'm a billionaire_

_Yeah, I would have a show like Oprah I would be the host of_

_Everyday Christmas, give Travie your wish list_

_I'd probably pull an Angelina and Brad Pitt_

_And adopt a bunch of babies that ain't never had it_

_Give away a few Mercedes, like here lady have this_

_And last but not least grant somebody their last wish_

_It's been a couple months that I've been single so_

_You can call me Travie Claus minus the ho ho!_

_Get it I'd probably visit where Katrina hit_

_And damn sure do a lot more than FEMA did_

_Yeah, can't forget about me, stupid_

_Everywhere I go I'ma have my own theme music_

_Oh every time I close my eyes,_

_I see my name in shining lights_

_A different city every night_

_Oh, I swear the world better prepare_

_For when I'm a billionaire_

_Oh oh, oh oh, for when I'm a Billionaire_

_Oh oh, oh oh_

_I'll be playing basketball with the President_

_Dunking on his delegates_

_Then I'll compliment him on his political etiquette_

_Toss a couple milli in the air just for the heck of it_

_But keep the fives, twenties, hiz and biz completely separate_

_And yeah I'll be in a whole new tax bracket_

_We in recession, but let me take a crack at it_

_I'll probably take whatever's left and just split it up_

_So everybody that I love can have a couple bucks_

_And not a single tummy around me would know what hungry was_

_Eating good, sleeping soundly_

_I know we all have a similar dream_

_Go in your pocket pull out your wallet, put it in the air and sing_

_I wanna be a billionaire so freakin bad_

_Buy all of the things I never had_

_Uh, I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine_

_Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen._

_(what up Oprah hahah!)_

_Oh, every time I close my eyes_

_I see my name in shining lights_

_A different city every night_

_Oh, I swear the world better prepare_

_For when I'm a billionaire_

_When I'm a billionaire_

_I wanna be a billionaire so freakin bad_

The whole time he was singing, Sam's eyes were fixed on Mercedes – as if challenging her to say something. He hid his smirked when he saw her crossed her hands together and brought them to her chest as she huffed.  _Something never changed_ , he thought. That was a gesture that she always did whenever she was proven wrong and things didn't go as she wanted.

"So?" Mr. Schuester asked, eyes locking on Mercedes.

"He can stay" she said, rolling her eyes in disgruntled. Sam went to sit next to Mike – behind Mercedes. He saw Kurt was looking at him but he ignored him.

* * *

"I knew it, Kurt! I knew it!" Mercedes ranted – pacing back and forth in the toilet. Kurt looked at her and frowned.

"What do you know? You've been chanting that sentence for five minutes, now! Like it is some kind of mantra to a voodoo spell!"

"The devils spawn! What else? Did you see the evil smirk that he gave me once he finished singing? I knew that he's here to make my life miserable! Ugh, why didn't he go to Dalton?" she ranted.

"Cedes, it was twelve years ago. We're all grown now. I don't think he still is the same douche when he was five. Besides, don't you think he looks hot when he played the guitar?"

Mercedes groaned. Ever since they saw Samuel Devil Spawn Evans at the entrance, Kurt kept on talking about how gorgeous he was. Mercedes also knew that all of the Glee girls were thinking the same too. She saw the fluttering looks that Tina had when she looked at Sam.  _What's the point of having a handsome face if your inside is the incarnation of the devil?_  Mercedes thought.

"We should go to class!" Mercedes said, dragging Kurt out of the toilet. Once again, she was greeted with the last person on earth that she wanted to meet when they arrived at their class. Mercedes groaned as she and Kurt walked to their seats.

Sam couldn't help but grinned when he saw Mercedes at the door. However, the grin faltered when he saw that she was holding hands with Kurt. Ugh, that parasite! He started to think that there was something going on between those two. He saw her rolling her eyes at him once their eyes met. School almost over, yet he couldn't even talk to her.

* * *

Sam smiled when he heard Stevie and Stacey talked animatedly about their new school and new friends. He was glad and happy that his siblings were happy with their new environment.

"So, how's school, son?" Dwight asked.

"Quite good. I signed up for Glee Club and try out for the football. Hopefully, I can make into the team"

"Did you see Mercedes?" Mary asked. Sam couldn't fight the wide smile that appeared on his face at the mere mention of her name. He nodded.

"We share a few classes together" he explained, nonchalantly as he focused on his dinner. Sam didn't notice the smiles that his parents share over his head.

* * *

Mercedes loved Glee Club. She loved the environment of it. However, ever since a certain blonde 'invaded' it, she started to enjoy it less. It was still fun, but Sam made it harder to fully enjoy it due to his intense staring.

"Mimi!"

Mercedes froze when she heard it. She had been avoiding him since the first day of school and these last few days – she had succeeded in doing so –  _well_ , except for at the moment. She turned and her finger was pointing at him.

"Stop calling me that name!" she hissed but couldn't help but noticed that he was looking extra fine in his letterman jacket. So, Kurt's story about Sam had been accepted into the football team as the quarterback was true, she thought.

"What name? Mimi? It is name. Why should I stop calling it?" Sam asked, smiling lopsidedly. Mercedes rolled her eyes in annoyance. They just started talking but she could feel her blood boiling with rage.

"No, my name is Mercedes, not Mimi" she said and turned around immediately – hastily walking to get as far away from him.

* * *

After practice, Sam and Mike went back to Sam's house for a nice bro time. Sam liked Mike Chang and ever since they met, they hit it off. Besides, he needed to know everything about Mercedes. Trying to get close to her was fruitless. She didn't even give him time to speak more than one word to her. He started with a simple lame question for Mike – liked asking why did he joined Glee. Mike told him it was because he liked dancing. The rest were simple questions on the relationship in Glee.

"Dude, why don't you just spit out the real question? I know you're interested in Mercedes" Mike said, chuckling when he noticed Sam had turned red.

"How – how did you know?"

Mike shrugged his shoulders. He put down the game console and reached for his coke.

"It was blatantly obvious. Ever since you walked into Glee Club, your eyes had been set on her. Besides, I saw you tried to talk to her but she dismissed you. I don't know what happened between you two, but I never see Mercedes treats someone likes she treats you. I mean – she is the sweetest girl ever. She nice to everybody, but with you – she seems like another person"

Sam let out a sigh.

"We used to be best friends before I moved. Something happened and I wasn't – very nice to her. I guess she still had some grudge over the old days"

"You seem to have your work cut out for you. Mercedes Jones is not easy to please. Tinsley was still heartbroken when she rejected him for the third time"

"Kurt must be lucky, then. He got the girl without doing much work. Just appeared out of nowhere and agreed to play dolls and had tea parties with her" Sam muttered. Mike looked at him, frowning.

"Come again? Kurt?" he asked. Sam nodded, sipping his pepsi.

"Kurt. Aren't they like together or something?" he asked. He was shocked and confused when Mike burst out laughing.

"What so funny?"

Mike wiped his tears due to the laughter.

" _You!_  Dude, what the hell is your problem? Where the hell is your gaydar?" he asked. Sam frowned.

"Gaydar? What do –" he trailed off as he thought about it and then looked at Mike with wide eyes. "O – Oh!"

Mike nodded when he noticed the realization had settled in.

"How come you didn't notice that Kurt is gay? Everybody knows it!"

"I don't know. There's this dude in my old school that is exactly likes Kurt. People thought he's gay but turns out, he's not. I mean, he  _bang_  chicks on a daily basis. So, the fact that Kurt is gay doesn't even cross my mind" Sam explained. He stared at Mike. "So, they're not together, right? I mean – Mercedes and Kurt"

"No! They just really close"

Sam definitely felt stupid at the moment. He was bitching at the fact that Kurt had beaten him to fight for Mercedes' heart while the fact was that he wasn't romantically interested in her. Turned out, Parasite Hummel wasn't parasite at all.

 


	3. Confession

The whole talk with Mike definitely brought some lights into Sam's mind. It also made him wanted to smack his own head for being clueless. The signs were all in front of him and yet, he couldn't even see them. All those jealousy this whole time had made him felt ashamed of himself. Sam sat on his study chair and faced his window. He smiled when he saw Mercedes in her room. She was dancing and he could hear her sang. He stared wistfully at her – wishing that they could be Sammy and Mimi once again. The fact that she hated it when he called her Mimi, hurt. He wouldn't deny that. The way she acted around him, hurt him. All he wanted was to be close to her and he was confident that what Mercedes wanted was for him to stay as far away as he could from her.

Mr. Schue walked into the choir room and wrote 'duets' on the board. He began explaining about the meaning of it and with a wide smile, he looked at the Glee Club members.

"So, I want you to pair up and pick a song. Next week, we're going to have you perform it and, the winner will have a number during regionals!"

Everyone cheered. All of them began to squabble and talking loudly, asking their favorite Glee Club member to be their duet partner. Noticing the fight that might happen, Mr. Schuester decided to put an end to the squabble.

"BUT!" he yelled. "I'm going to pick your duet partner!"

Simultaneous groans could be heard around the room. Mr. Schuester ignored them and began writing the names on papers and put them in a box. He called Finn, Kurt, Puck, Quinn, Mike and Mercedes to the front to ballot. Sam waited with baited breath as he watched Mercedes walked to the box. He silently prayed that he would get her as a duet partner. He loved her voice and he knew that they would sound great together. Besides, if they had become partner, he could get closer to her. Unbeknown to him, Mercedes was silently praying too as she rumbled through the papers in the box. She was praying that she got anyone except for Sam Evans. She took a deep breath and let it go as she grabbed a piece of paper. She opened it and a wide smile appeared on her face as she saw Santana's name was written on it.

"Santana!" she announce happily as she went to get the Latino girl. Sam was crestfallen when he heard it. He just sulkily paying attention as he saw Finn got Artie, Puck ended up with Rachel, Mike and Brittany and Quinn was with Joe. He knew that he would be partnered up with Kurt since he was the only choice that was left.

"Looks like we're together, Evans!" Kurt said. Sam smiled and nodded. If this happened two weeks ago, he would definitely curse his fate though, Sam thought. But, now that he had known the truth, all the resentment that he had toward Kurt were gone. Besides, Mike had told him that Kurt was definitely the key that he needed to win Mercedes. He totally agreed with that and now that he knew that Kurt Hummel wasn't a threat, he started to see him as an ally rather than enemy.

* * *

"I can't believe that you stuck with the Devil Spawn" Mercedes said as she and Kurt walked into her house. She closed the door and they went straight to her room. Kurt sat on her bed and shrugged his shoulder.

"I don't mind. Besides, he has one of the nicest voices in Glee" he looked at her – pointing his finger. " _Don't_  you deny it" Kurt said. Mercedes rolled her eyes. She took off her coat and hung it before settling herself next to Kurt.

"Are you sure he won't do something to mess up the performance? I mean – we both knew how  _horrible_  he was"

They were both laying on the bed. Mercedes was staring at the stars on her ceiling while Kurt was flipping through her Vogue magazine.

"Cedes, it's in the past. Besides, ever since he came back to Lima, all he ever did was chasing after his Mimi" he said, nudging her elbow. Mercedes groaned. Sam's behavior really irked her and it annoyed her to no end. Everything about Sam Evans annoyed her. Santana, Tina and Brittany kept on giving her weird looks because of him and she was extremely sure that they had suspected there was something going on with her and Sam.

"I'm pretty sure that Santana, Tina and Brittany will ask about the weird vibe coming from that devil spawn during our sleepover this weekend"

"Weird vibe? More like sexual tension to me. Whenever you two are in a same room, there's like some weird energy going around. Sometimes, it even gives me goose bumps"

"Did you take some kind of drugs or what? Me and that freaking Devil Spawn? Never in a million years!"

Kurt laughed at her expression. He jumped up and stood before reaching for his bag.

"I'm going home. Dad might end up eating some leftover sandwich for dinner if I don't go now. I'll see you tomorrow, Diva" he said and turned to the door. Kurt turned to look at the window once he straightened his clothes. He frowned when he noticed Sam was looking at it. When he saw Kurt, he seemed to look down and writing something.  _That's weird_ , Kurt thought.

"Hey, Cedes"

Mercedes looked at him. Kurt wanted to ask about what he just saw. However, after contemplating something in his mind, he just shook his head and bid goodbye to her.

* * *

Sam was restless. He felt like someone was watching him, but whenever he turned around, there was nobody. He shrugged it off and continued walking to his class. His mind was full of the fact that Kurt had caught him staring through his window and he prayed that Kurt didn't suspect anything. Well – he didn't do anything wrong. He just sat at his study table and looking through his window – which facing the window in Mercedes' bedroom. He might have seen her half naked a few times, but it wasn't on purpose. She just seemed to always change her clothes while he was looking.  _No, Sam, you're not creepy_ , he thought. Sam sat on his seat and a moment later, Kurt walked into the class and went straight to him. He gulped down his saliva when he saw he was staring at him.

"It's not fun when  _you're_  the one being watched, isn't it?" Kurt asked in a low tone.

"It was you?" Sam asked, confused. He sighed when Kurt was giving him a death glare. "Look, it – it's not like that – I can explain. Well -,"

"We need to start working on the duet. I'll be at your house around 4" Kurt said and went to sit at the back, leaving Sam dumbfounded.

"O-okay" Sam muttered.

* * *

Kurt looked around Sam's room and suppressed his smile when he saw three pictures of Sam and Mercedes when they were kids in his room. One was on his bookshelf, one on his study table and another one was on his nightstand. He went near Sam's study table and looked at the window.

"You can see everything in Cedes' room from here" he commented, nonchalantly. Sam bit his lower lip.

"Dude, look -,"

Kurt stared at him, arms crossed to his chest and an eyebrow rising.

"Are you a stalking her? Do I need to inspect your room for any listening device or night vision goggle?" Kurt said. He turned to look at the window and his eyes went wide when he saw Mercedes walked around clad only in her bra. He gaped as he turned to look at Sam.

"You!" he said, finger pointing at Sam's chest. "How long have you been stalking her? You're gross, Sam Evans!" he continued.

"I'm not stalking her!" Sam exclaimed. Kurt gave him a stink eye. His arms were crossed at his chest. His face saying that he didn't believe Sam. Sam bit his lower lip. He raised his hands in the surrender motion and sat at the edge of his bed.

"Okay, fine! I'll watch her –  _sometimes_. But it's not like I do it 24/7 and it's not my fault that sometimes she was doing what you saw just now" Sam said. The last sentence came out almost in a whisper. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Why can't you just talk to her like a normal person?"

"She kept on dismissing me! I can't even say a word to her, let alone start a conversation before she goes running away from me!"

Kurt stared at Sam who was looking a bit flustered. He smirked as he settled on Sam's study chair.

"You like her. You like Cedes" he said. Sam was silence as he stared at Kurt. Kurt's eyes went wide once he realized something. "Damn! That's why you did what you've done years ago! You _bullied_  her because you  _like_  her!"

Sam huffed. There's no point in keeping it a secret. He had started to wonder if he really was that transparent. Mike had figured it out before he even said anything to him and now Kurt knew – granted, Kurt had caught him being all creepy stalker-like but still, he would like it if people didn't know pointing out something he had tried to keep it to himself so easily.

"Fine! I like her, okay? I really, really, really like Mimi – I mean, Mercedes! I was being mean to her because of you! You just showed up one day and stole my best friend! So, yes! I resented you so much and I felt stupid because I thought you and Mercedes are together until Mike told me that you're gay!"

Kurt frowned when he heard the last sentence. He stood straight on the chair and stared at Sam.

"How much do you like her?" he asked. His tone was serious, no messing around sort of way. Sam raked his hair with his fingers and sighed.

"Very, very much. It's the level that I want to marry her and have family with her"

Kurt gasped. Sam Evans wasn't just like his best friend, but he also in love with her. He studied Sam who was looking a little uncomfortable in front of him. A smile appeared on his face. Mercedes Jones was a beautiful girl and she deserved a handsome guy to be her beau. She seemed to be so keen in keeping the independence woman status who didn't need a man in her life but Kurt knew better. He knew that Mercedes longed for someone to love her – not that there's no boys who knocked on her door but she just simply wasn't interested. Kurt eyed Sam and smiled. He might have found the perfect guy for her – granted that she hated the guy but Kurt had some unconfirmed suspicions that there were more to the hatred that Mercedes seemed to harbor toward the blonde Adonis in front of him.

"Kurt, are you okay?" Sam asked. He was worried when Kurt seemed not to move and just stared at him. Kurt smiled at him – a very wide smile that made Sam frowned in confusion.

"I'm fine. Never been better" he said, giddily. "Now, Sam. Since I had established on the fact that you like Cedes and had liked her for a long time – I've decided that I will help you in courting her. However, unlike other guys who are interested in her, you have a great disadvantage"

Sam frowned. He waited for Kurt to continue. Kurt looked directly into Sam's eyes.

"She hates you. In fact, she calls you devil spawn because she hates you so much. It's going to take a lot of works to make Cedes to like you"

Sam gasped. He wiped his face in defeat.

"Devil spawn? Am I  _that_  bad?"

Kurt nodded. He shrugged his shoulders when he heard Sam's question.

"Well, speaking from the experience, I would say, yes. You're  _that_  bad"

"I'm sorry. I meant, for everything that I've done to you in the past. For me, you were like a parasite that showed up out of nowhere and stuck yourself at Mimi. Then, you two seemed to hit it off and left me alone"

"Parasite? I am too fabulous to be compared to parasite! But, you're forgiven, Sam. Remember, I want to help you not because you've evolved from an evil kid to a sexy guy but because Cedes needs someone who really love her and you seem like the perfect guy for her" Kurt said. He smiled when Sam didn't correct the word love that he had used to describe his feeling toward Mercedes. A wide smile appeared on Sam's face. He got up and went to hug Kurt.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed, catching Kurt off guard with the sudden hug.

* * *

Mercedes was surprised when Kurt suddenly appeared at her room. She was having chatting with Santana about their duet assignment. Kurt went straight to the bed and sat on it.

"What are you doing here?" Mercedes asked, looking at Kurt.

"I was at Sam's place to discuss about our duet and decided to stop by to see what my Diva is doing"

Mercedes smiled. "I've been talking with Santana about the duet too. Did you guys decide on a song?"

Kurt just realized that they talked about everything  _but_  the song. He sighed.

"Is it that bad? Working with him, I mean"

Kurt looked at Mercedes, puzzled with her words. He hadn't even said anything.

"Why do you said that?"

"You've let out a heavy sigh. So, I'm assumed it has something to do with the devil spawn"

"No, no. Sam is actually nice. I sighed because we talk a lot, but forgot to choose a song. Guess, I need to talk about it later"

Mercedes frowned. " _You_ , talked  _a lot_  with the devil spawn?"

Kurt nodded. Mercedes gasped.

"And you're saying that he is nice. Who are you? And what you've done to my boo?"

Kurt rolled his eyes.  _Here come the dramatic diva_ , he thought.

"Relax, Diva. I  _never_  say that Sam is bad. It was all  _you_  – who keep on calling him devil spawn.  _Yes_ , what he did to us  _years_  ago was awful, but we were kids so it didn't really matter. Besides, after talking with him today, I noticed that he really is a nice guy. You just need to know him"

Mercedes rolled her eyes.

"Suits yourself. But for me, he will always be the devil spawn. Nothing will change it" she huffed. Kurt smirked as he looked at her.

"Cedes, I'm home! Is Kurt here? Come down! I bought dinner!"

They heard Janine yelled from downstairs.

"Well, you heard my mom!" Mercedes said as she stood up and held her hand toward Kurt, pulling him from the bed. They walked to the door but Mercedes remembered that she left her phone on her study table. As she turned around to take her phone, she saw Samuel Devil Spawn Evans, who was standing in his room,  _shirtless_. He seemed to be talking on the phone and Mercedes glued in her position as her eyes fixed on Sam's hard body.

"Hey, Cedes, what are you-," Kurt's words trailed off as he saw what Mercedes was staring at. "Damn! That's what I would call a perfect body" he continued. Kurt wanted to giggle when he saw how awestruck Mercedes was but knew that he shouldn't do that. So, he opted to shake her out of her reverie.

"W-what?" she asked, dizzily. Kurt side-eyed her.

"We're going downstairs, remember?"

"Yeah, I need to get my phone" she said and reached for her phone.  _Damn, devil spawn_! She cursed internally while tried to act cool and collected since Kurt was still eyeing her. Kurt smirked when Mercedes walked past him to the stairs.

* * *

Thank you for reading/reviewing/favorite/alerts!

p/s: Have you seen the new stills? I am definitely looking forward for 5x16! Samcedes just kept getting better and better that I feel like I want to forgive RIB for the disaster that they've called season 4. I still couldn't get over the two kisses in the last episode and not to mention the footsie! The kisses were awesome but my favorite part goes to the footsie. I kept watching it and every time I did, I get all giddy looking at Sam/Chord - how he didn't say anything during the dinner and his face actually giving off what he and Mercedes were doing. I bet, Mercedes started it and that's why Sam seemed a bit flustered lol.

 


	4. Babysitting

Mercedes knocked on the door and smiled when she saw Mary once the door was opened. The older woman hugged her and thanked her profusely for willing to help babysit Stevie and Stacey at the last minute.

"Thank you so much, Mercedes. Sam couldn't come home early because of football practice and we cannot cancel this dinner because it involves a big client who will be flying to England tomorrow"

Mercedes smiled widely as she heard that Sam wasn't around.

"Don't worry. You just enjoy your dinner and I'll take care of the twins. Speaking of them, where are they?"

"Okay. I've already prepared the dinner and everything is on the table. You can have it with the kids later" Mary explained. A shout of Mercedes' name was heard before Mary managed to explain the twin's whereabouts. Stevie and Stacy went to hug Mercedes once they appeared.

"Hey guys!" she said, grinning at them.

"Daddy told us that you'll be with us tonight. Is it true?" Stacey asked.

"Yes! I'll be playing with you while your mom and dad are going out for dinner. So, why don't you kiss them good bye first and then we play something?"

The two children nodded and turned to kiss Mary and Dwight who just appeared in the living room. They bade goodbye to their parents and turned to look at Mercedes with expectant eyes.

"So, what do you want to do?" she asked the twin.

"Oh, we can have a tea party!" Stacey beamed. Being the only girl in the family was hard and having Mercedes with her would finally made her wish of having a sister a reality. Stevie pouted.

"No! The party is stupid!" he retorted and the kids started to bicker.

"Okay, stop fighting. How about this? We built a fort and Stevie can pretend to be a warrior who just came back from a battle and stop at our tea shop?"

"Okay!"

"Let's go to the playroom!" Stacey shouted and pulled Mercedes toward their playroom. Without wasting any time, Mercedes and Stevie started to build the fort while Stacy setting up her tea shop. Mercedes played with Stevie and once they had enough, they head to Stacey for a tea.

* * *

Sam was exhausted by the time he reached home. He was extremely tired and hungry. He walked into the house and smiled when he smelled the delicious smell of steak and potatoes.  _Mom is awesome_ , he thought as he put his bag down on the couch and walked to the dining room. Half way there, he stopped in his track when he saw Mercedes was sitting with his siblings – happily having dinner together. He smiled wider when he heard her laughter. Everything about the girl in front of him was beautiful and he could definitely stare at her forever – or so he thought. The loud growl of his stomach made three pairs of eyes turned and stared at him.

"Hey, I'm home" he said sheepishly. Stacey immediately jumped down from the chair and went to hug him. He noticed that Mercedes was pretending that he wasn't there as she talked with Stevie.

"We're having your favorite steak, Sammy!" Stacey said, bouncing as she pulled Sam toward the dining table and forced him to sit next to Mercedes.

"Stace, let's me fix my plate first. I'm hungry" he said. Somehow, he couldn't stop smiling as he watched Mercedes stared hard at her own plate – trying to ignore him. He went to the kitchen and came back with his own plate and sat back in his place – next to her.

* * *

Once she saw that Stevie and Stacey had finished eating, Mercedes told them to go and chose the movie that they wanted to watch. She then quickly finished her dinner and immediately stood up and collected the kids' plate. She brought the plates to the sink and came back to finish clean up before heading back to the kitchen. To her dismay, Sam was finishing up his dinner and he immediately helped her cleaned up the table. Then, he followed her to the kitchen and stood at the sink, washing the dishes.

"I can do it" Mercedes said, trying to push Sam out of the kitchen due to the awkward tension looming above her head.

"It's okay. I wash and you can dry it" Sam said, handing a plate to her so that she can wiped it with the dry cloth. Sighing, she hesitantly took it. Sam smiled and they continued to work together – in silent, despite Sam's attempt to start a conversation. Once finished, they went to living room and joined Stevie and Stacey who was watching Cars 2.

"Sammy! Cedes! We save your seats!" Stacey exclaimed when she saw the two teenagers approaching her and Stevie. Mercedes sighed as she saw the large space between the two kids. She looked at Sam with trouble expression but he just shrugged as he went to sit beside Stevie. Three pairs of green eyes stared at her when they noticed that she was still standing. Letting out a heavy sigh, Mercedes walked slowly to the couch and slowly sat next to Sam. A wide grin appeared on Sam's face as he felt her body heat next to him. Sam frowned when Stacey shifted and put her head on Mercedes' thigh. He heard Mercedes chuckled and looked at her through the corner of his eyes. He saw her patted Stacey's butt and caressed her long blond hair and Sam couldn't help but fantasizing about the future family that he and Mercedes might have together in the future.  _Too far, Sam. You can't even get her speaks more than two words with you,_  he chastised his self. One thing that he did know for sure at the moment was the jealousy that he felt toward Stacey. Once the movie ended, Stacey demanded to watch Frozen since Stevie had gotten to watch his favorite movie. Without saying anything, Sam just obeyed. He went to change the disk and went back to his place. Halfway into the movie, Sam chuckled when he realized that Stevie had fallen asleep. He peeked on Stacey and smiled when he saw that his baby sister was peacefully sleeping on Mercedes thigh.

* * *

Mercedes started to think that her agreement to help babysit Stevie and Stacey was a big mistake the moment she saw Sam walked into the house. Dinner was awkward and Stacey's demand for Sam to sit next to her made her extremely uncomfortable. Besides, Sam seemed to have nothing else to do than stared at her. During movie, she was hoping that the kids would sit in between her and Sam but, the two little monsters seemed to love making her suffered and ended up keeping a space for her to sit next to Sam. When Stacey asked for Frozen, Mercedes was thinking that maybe she should put them to bed, but Sam had went and changed the movie before she managed to voice out her opinion. She sighed. Her eyes were getting heavy and she would fall asleep in no time. She was yawning and before she even realized it, her eyes had closed.

Sam froze when he felt her head on his shoulder. He turned to look at her and smile at how peaceful she looked in her sleep. His eyes landed on her lips and the urge to kiss her overwhelmed him. Without thinking, he leaned forward, getting closer to her plump lips. However, he stopped when he noticed that her eyes were opened and that she was staring directly into his eyes. Sam gulped down his saliva.

"What are you trying to do?" she asked. Her voice was cold and he could feel the chill on his spine. He straightened himself and cleared his throat – at loss as what to answer. There was an accusation in her eyes and he braced himself for lash out. However, Mercedes said nothing and carefully took Stacey in her arms and carry the little girl to her room. Watching her walked away, Sam immediately did the same with Stevie. After he had done put his brother on his bed, he quickly walked out of Stevie's room and when to get Mercedes who was gathering her things.

"Mimi, look -,"

"I better go home now. It's late" she cut him off and quickly gathered her things before walked out of the door – leaving him standing alone in the living room. Sam raked his hair with his fingers and hit his head while cursing his own self.

* * *

Mercedes quickly walked to her house and climbed the stairs to get into her room as soon as possible. Once she was in her room, she went to lie down on her bed – never bothered to change her clothes. She brought her hand to her chest and she could feel that her heart was still beating frantically. It could possibly cause by the journey that she took from the Evans house to her house but she knew that a part of it was because what had happened in the living room with Sam. She was surprise when she opened her eyes and saw that Sam's face was extremely close to hers. She remembered how hard her heart was beating. She should scream when she first noticed him but his eyes – his beautiful emerald eyes had hypnotized her. Those eyes were so mesmerizing that she felt herself was lost in them. She didn't dare think about what would happen if she didn't gather her will and asked Sam what he was trying to do. She grabbed her pillow and put it on her face.

"Arghhhh!" Mercedes screamed out her frustration.

* * *

_Awkward_. It was Kurt's description if he was asked to describe the interaction between Sam and Mercedes on that day. The usual Sam and Mercedes interaction consisted of him chasing after her or trying to start a conversation with her and ended up with her brushing him off. However, today wasn't the same as the usual. Kurt saw Sam tried to approach his best friend but halted his steps out of the blue before he turned the other way around and walked away. If that wasn't enough proof, he saw they looked at each other, secretly, and then looked away. Kurt was on the way to his Algebra class when he saw Sam stopped Mercedes from walking. He saw Sam said something. Kurt frowned when he saw Mercedes said nothing and walked away. He also noticed that the Diva seemed a bit flustered. What the hell had happened? Kurt wondered. He walked through the crowd of students to get to Sam as soon as he could.

"Hey, watch where you're going, fag!" The yell was follow with a shove and Kurt ended up on the floor, his books were scattered on the floor. He glared at the back of Karofsky as he cursed him.

"Are you okay?"

Kurt looked up and saw that Sam was staring at him. His books were in his hand.

"I'm fine" he said as he stood up and brushed up his pants.

"How long?"

Kurt looked up at Sam and frowned.

"How long has he been bullying you?" Sam asked. His tone was serious and a bit stern.

"Forget it. It's not a big deal"

"Kurt, I saw you just now. You were a bit shaken when he shoved you. I'm guessing that this has been going on for a while now. Did Mimi know about this?"

Kurt let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.

"Nobody knows and people who had seen it happened didn't care. I didn't tell Mercedes because I don't want her to worry and I knew that she will kill Karofsky. So, I hope you keep it a secret from her too"

"I really think that you should -,"

Kurt went and stood in front of Sam – staring straight into his eyes and pointed his finger to him.

" _Not_  a word to Mercedes or I tell her that you've been  _stalking_  her from your window" he warned. Sam sighed exasperatedly and reluctantly nodded. Mercedes didn't need to add  _another_  creepy trait of him in her list, he thought.

"Good" Kurt said and walked away. Sam didn't need to know that Mercedes was lost for words when she accidentally saw his half naked body few days ago,  _yet_ , Kurt decided.

* * *

_Diva, I am so sorry. I can't join the sleepover tonight. Sam and I have to work on our duet. Have fun!_

Mercedes groaned as she read the text that Kurt had sent to her. She threw her iPhone on her bed, furious. Ever since Kurt and Sam had been assigned to do the duet together, she felt the slight shift in their friendship. Kurt seemed to be closer to Sam. She often seemed the two of them together in school. Hell, she even saw Sam walked Kurt to class once! Besides, Kurt seemed like he was hiding something from her. She was positive. Sam Evans was stealing her best friend from her!

"Are you sure that you don't want to tell Mi – Mercedes about this? I'm very sure that she'll ask about your uneven gait"

Kurt huffed as he put the ice on his ankle.

"It just a sprained ankle, Sam. I'm sure it heals on Monday. Remember the deal"

"You're so stubborn! You should tell the teachers about this! Have you thought what he'd do to you if I didn't show up?"

"It's nothing I've never handle before" Kurt mumbled. "Thanks for standing up to me"

"Kurt, you are my friend. I -,"

"Friend? I thought I am your love's rival" Kurt teased. Sam rolled his eyes.

"Shut up!" he retorted, laughing. Sam cleared his throat. "Look, what I am trying to say is, you should tell Mr. Schue or someone about this. I'll try to be there for you as much as I can but Karosky won't stop harassing you if you don't stop him. You're lucky you just sprained your ankle today. If I wasn't there at that time, I'm pretty sure that he'll beat you" Sam clenched his fists. Thinking about how Karofsky ran away when he showed up made his blood boiled. That coward needs to pay for what he had done to Kurt, he thought.

"Fine. I tell one of the teachers" Kurt said, just because he knew that Sam won't let the topic went away if he didn't agree. "Now, can we start practice the song?"

Sam smiled as he reached for his guitar and started to play the intro chords.

* * *

Santana and Tina could definitely detect the sour mood from Mercedes. They knew that something was bothering her. They had been watching the Bridesmaids and Mercedes was lost in her thoughts. Having had enough, Santana took the remote control and turned off the television. She put the popcorn bowl on the bed and turned to look at Mercedes who was sitting next to her.

"I had enough! Do you want to tell us about what's bothering you or do I need to force it out?" she asked. Mercedes wanted to protest but the looks in Santana's eyes made her changed her mind.

"It's about Kurt" she confessed.

"What about him?" Tina asked. She went to sat next to Santana, looking at Mercedes who now was sitting in front of them.

"I feel like he had forgotten about me. He seemed to be hiding something from me. Especially once he started working on the damn duet with Sam"

The two girls nodded. Truth was, everyone had noticed the sudden closeness between Kurt and Sam.

"Maybe he and Trouty Mcface are dating?" Santana said, shrugging her shoulders. Mercedes and Tina gasped.

"Where did you get the idea?" Tina asked.

"Well, Kurt and I are in Algebra together and I've seen Trouty walked him to class a few times. He won't do it if they're not dating"

"Oh, maybe that's the reason he bailed on us tonight!" Tina squealed. Mercedes felt a sharp tugged in her heart as she listened to the various romantic scenarios that Tina was talking. Sam's gay? She thought. She wanted to deny it but what Santana said made sense. A guy won't walk another guy to class. Besides, Sam went to all boys' school. It won't be weird if he's gay. Her thought went to the incident between her and Sam few days ago at his house. She wanted to deny it but all the evident were saying otherwise. Mercedes was confused. Why was it hurt her if Sam and Kurt were together? Pushing all her thoughts aside, she knew that she needed to have a talk with Sam. If he wanted to date her best friend, he needed to do it the right way!

 


	5. Black Eye

The whole weekend after the sleepover with Santana and Tina, Mercedes kept trying to reach out to Kurt. She asked him out to shopping and he rejected her invitation because he had to meet with Sam. Kurt Hummel never rejected any shopping outing yet, he declined her because of Sam Evans. Every time she asked him to do something, Kurt told her that he had something plan with Sam. Now, Mercedes was sure that there was something going on between her best friend and her arch nemesis. Mercedes wasn't a bad friend, so, she won't ask Kurt to break whatever relationship that he had with her enemy. Mercedes Patrice Jones was a great friend – that's why she would talk with her arch nemesis and gave him the best friend's advice.

* * *

Mercedes' Monday was busy. Every single time that she had was spent perfecting the routine for the duet that she and Santana would perform during Glee. They had chosen River Deep -Mountain High by Tina Turner for their duet.

"So, let's welcome our first performers – Mercedes and Santana!" Mr. Schuester announced. Mercedes and Santana came to the front – standing with their backs facing their friends. They turned and Mercedes started singing. A wide smile was plastered on Sam's face as he watched Mercedes.

_When I was a little girl_

_I had a rag doll_

_Only doll I've ever owned_

_Now I love you just the way I loved that_

_rag doll_

_But only now my love has grown_

_And it gets stronger, in every way_

_And it gets deeper, let me say_

_And it gets higher, day by day_

_And do I love you my oh my_

_Yeh river deep mountain high_

_If I lost you would I cry_

_Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby_

_When you were a young boy_

_Did you have a puppy_

_That always followed you around_

_Well I'm gonna be as faithful as that puppy_

_No I'll never let you down_

_Cause it grows stronger, like a river flows_

_And it gets bigger baby, and heaven knows_

_And it gets sweeter baby, as it grows_

_And do I love you my oh my_

_Yeh river deep, mountain high_

_If I lost you would I cry_

_Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby_

_If I lost you would I cry_

_Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby_

The whole Glee Club was enjoying the performance. Sam admitted that Santana and Mercedes sounded great together. He almost groaned when the two girls dancing, shaking their upper bodies together. Sam's eyes went wide when they gave their backs to the audience and started shaking their asses. Watching Mercedes' ass shaking almost made his dick hard. He was shocked when Kurt smacked his arm – shaking him out of the lust filled thoughts.

_I love you baby like a flower loves the_

_spring_

_And I love you baby just like Tina loves to_

_sing_

_And I love you baby like a school boy loves_

_his pet_

_And I love you baby, river deep mountain_

_high_

_Oh yeah you've gotta believe me_

_River Deep, Mountain High_

_Do I love you my oh my, oh baby_

_River deep, mountain high_

_If I lost you would I cry_

_Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby_

Applause filled the choir room once Mercedes and Santana ended their performance. Mr. Schuester congratulated them both and called Puck and Rachel for their performance. They sang Run Joey Run which Sam deemed as okay. After Puck and Rachel, it was Tina's turn. She and Rory sang I'm Your Angel – a duet by R. Kelly and Celine Dion.

* * *

Mercedes watched Sam who was talking with Mike. Kurt had left the choir room earlier, with Rachel and Tina. The only people who left were Mercedes, Mike and Sam. Once Mike had walked away, she immediately went to get Sam who was about to go.

"Sam"

Sam froze when he heard her voice. His eyes were wide as they looked at her. Ever since the little incident at his house, he had been trying to talk to her, but she always dismissed him without a word. Soon enough, the shocked expression was replaced with a wide smile as he watched her walked toward him.

"Mimi, to what did I owe the pleasure of  _you_ , reaching out to me?" he asked. Mercedes rolled her eyes. She had told him repeatedly to not call her that name but he ignored her.

"One word. Kurt" she said. Sam seemed taken aback when he heard what she said. Mercedes observed him and she was even surer that there was something going on between them.

"Kurt? What about him?" Sam asked. He wondered if Mercedes had heard about the bullying.

"Look, I don't want to beat around the bush or whatever. Kurt is my best friend. He is like a brother to me – a family. He is important to me. All I want is for him to be happy – and – urm – unfortunately, he seemed to find the happiness in  _you_ "

"Wh - what?" Sam frowned when he heard the last sentence. His frown was deeper when he heard Mercedes next sentence.

"I don't know what he sees in you, but if you make him happy, then I won't say anything about it. But,  _listen_  here, Blondie. You hurt my best friend, and I will hurt you!"

_Oh, God! She's giving me the best friend's speech! Did she?_  Sam stared at Mercedes who was staring really hard at him.

"Mimi, look. I think there's a misunderstanding here. Kurt and I – we – we're not together. I am not gay"

Mercedes was seeing red when Sam started to deny his relationship with Kurt.

"I can't believe you! How could you deny it? The whole school saw it! Obviously, there's something between you two. You spend the whole time together. You walk him to class! Are you ashamed that people know that you and Kurt are together? Because, let me tell you, asshole, you're not exactly keeping it a secret either!"

"What? No! I'm not trying to hide anything! I walk Kurt to class because – urm – because he is my friend! There's nothing between us!" Sam denied it. He wanted to tell Mercedes the whole bullying ordeal but he knew that as a friend, he should respect Kurt's request. Mercedes laughed under her breath.

"Friend, my foot! Even five years old can give a better excuse than that!" she spat. Sam raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. He wondered where the hell did she get the whole he and Kurt in a relationship nonsense.

"I am telling the truth! There's nothing between Kurt and I! Well, except friendship because either you believe or not, he is my friend! We're always together because of the duet that we're working on!"  _and the fact that I was protecting him from being bullied_ , he added mentally.

"I can't believe you! You know what? You're a jerk! An asshole! If this is the way you act when I confronted you about Kurt, I think you better leave him! Kurt doesn't deserve to be treated like some dirty secret! He deserves better!" Mercedes said, finger pointing at Sam's chest. As soon as she had finished talking, she turned to walk away from him. Sam huffed in frustration as he watched she turned away. She was about to leave him when on reflex, he reached to grab her wrist and pulled her toward him. Their bodies were closed and he released his grip on her wrist, then brought his hands to cup her face and kissed her. The feeling of her lips on his was indescribable, but one thing for sure, it was perfect. Her lips were softer than he imagined and he was totally reveling in it. Sam felt Mercedes returned the kiss for a moment and the next thing he knew, he was being pushed away and a fist was coming toward him.

"Awww!" he yelled. His hand was covering his right eyes as he watched Mercedes scurried to the door.

* * *

"Hey, Kurt? What's up? I come as fast as I can" Mike said as he walked to the Evans' living room. Kurt said nothing but motioned toward Sam who was playing video game on the couch. Mike frowned and looked at Kurt – asking for explanation. The slender boy just shrugged his shoulders.

"He's been like that for 40 minutes. Saying nothing and kept on focusing on his game. I've been sitting on the chair like a statue because he would give me a dead glare every time I try to talk"

Mike went to sit next to Sam and gasped when he saw his right eye.

"Dude, what happened to your eye?" Mike eyes, pointing at the bruise eye. Sam huffed. He had lost the game. Annoyed, he turned off the game and put down the consul.

"Nothing. It just a bruise. No big deal" he said distractedly.  _Who knew Mercedes Jones' fist was so powerful?_

"It's Karofsky, is it? What did he do to you?" Kurt asked. He's been thinking about it ever since he came in and saw the black eye. Sam sighed.

"No, it's not him. Just drop it, okay. I don't want to talk about it"

"Did you have a fight with someone?" Mike asked. He and Kurt kept on coming with speculations that it began to annoy Sam.

"It Mercedes! She punched me! Are you happy now?" Sam burst out. Kurt and Mike stared at him like he was an alien before burst out laughing.

"Seriously? Mercedes gave you black eye?" Mike asked in between his laughter. Sam groaned. He flopped back on the couch and crossed his arms across his chest – rolling his eyes at his laughing friends.

"What did you do to deserve it?" Kurt asked once he and Mike had done laughing.

"Ikissher" he mumbled.

"What?" Kurt and Mike asked. Sam took a deep breath and let it out.

"I kiss her" he mumbled again with a slower pace. His friends were silenced and then he felt Kurt grabbed his shirt.

"You did  _what_?" he asked, angry.

"Look, I don't know how it happened!" Sam said, in attempt to protect himself from Kurt's wrath. Kurt stared at him so hard that he had to look away. He released his shirt from Kurt's tight grip and let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine, I know how it did happen! It just – she frustrated me so much! She kept on saying that I didn't want to admit that you and I are together and how I am a jerk who treats you like a dirty secret. I told her that I'm not gay but she refused to believe me. I guess – I just had enough and kissing her was the only way to prove that I am as straight as a ruler. Then, out of the blue, she pushed me and her fist greeted my right eye"

Kurt and Mike chuckled.

"Well, I am just glad to know that my Diva can protect her own self. But  _you_ , Sam Evans! How could you do that? It's her first kiss, you know! You're lucky you just got black eye for that!" Kurt said.

"No, it's not. Mercedes' first kiss was when we were nine years old" Sam said.

"And how do you know that?" Kurt asked, curious. Sam bit his lower lips.

"Because I kissed her when she wasn't aware of it?"

"Is stealing kisses your hobby? Because you seem to love doing it" Mike said. Sam pouted.

"It's not like that! I just – I like her and you  _know_  – one thing led to – the kiss" he finished lamely, making Mike and Kurt snorted at him. Kurt's phone chimed and he looked at it.

"Well, seems like Cedes needs me. So, goodbye, guys" he said and left the two boys.

* * *

After she had left Sam in the choir room, Mercedes went straight to her car. Her heart was beating rapidly and she had to take a deep breath to calm herself down. Once she was calm, she started the engine and drove away. The whole journey back home, Mercedes kept on thinking about what had happened. The way his lips felt against hers and how soft his lips were. The kiss stirred something in her – an unknown sensation that she had never experience before. She was about to lose in the sensation when her brain seemed to pick up the fact that she was kissing her nemesis – that he had forced his soft and velvety lips on hers. Out of reflex or self-defense, she had punched him in the eye and dashed out of the choir room. Reaching her home, Mercedes stepped out of the car, locked it and went straight to her room. She was pacing in the room and having met with a dead end, she sent a text to Kurt to come and met her.

* * *

When Kurt walked into Mercedes' room, he saw his best friend was lying face down on her bed. Shaking his head, he went straight to the bed and sat on it. Mercedes, feeling a weight on the bed, turned her head toward it.

"This is the worst day ever" she mumbled, turning to lie down on her back – eyes fixed on the ceiling above her.

"What's wrong? You seemed fine when I left you after Glee Club today" Kurt asked, despite knowing the answer. Mercedes sighed.

"Wait – I texted you around five minutes ago. How can you be here so fast?" she asked, confused. Kurt chuckled.

"I was next door – at the Evans'. Sam and I were supposed to practice for one last time before the performance tomorrow but he's not in the mood because someone had given him a black eye" he explained. Kurt was biting his cheek when he saw the expression on Mercedes' face when he talked about Sam. It was a mix between annoyed and flustered and he found it amusing.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Mercedes asked in a low voice.

"Since when do you ask me before asking?" he replied, chuckling. Mercedes was playing with her fingers – a gesture that she always did whenever she was nervous. Kurt reached for her hands.

"Cedes, you're my best friend. You can ask me anything" he said. Mercedes looked at him.

"Are you and Sam together? I mean  _together_ , as in a couple?"

Kurt laughed and shook his head.

"No! We're just friends!"

"Then, why did he always with you? Always walking you to classes? Plus, you've been blowing me off for him lately! Every time I called, you seemed to be hanging out with him"

"Cedes, we're working on a duet for the Glee Club together!"

"I know that! I also know that there's something else going on between the two of you. Last weekend, you blew me off when I asked you out for a shopping trip! Shopping, Kurt! You never decline any chance of going shopping before!"

"Okay, fine! I have something to tell you!" Kurt said, exasperatedly. He couldn't hide it anymore, he thought. Mercedes was staring at him.

"Sam – he's been protecting me. Karofsky had been bullying me – pushing me when I was walking, bumping me in the hall. That's why Sam had been walking me to class. I bailed on the sleep over and declined your shopping invitation because I sprained my ankle when he pushed me. He was ready to pounce on me and luckily, Sam saw it and came to my rescue. I didn't tell anyone about this. Sam saw Karofsky pushed me in the hallway and he noticed that I flinched when Karofsky was around – he sort of figured it out by himself"

Mercedes gasped when she heard it.

"Kurt – I'm sorry. I am such a bad friend for not noticing it!" Mercedes said, tears running down her cheeks. Kurt wiped the tears and hugged her.

"No, you're not. Karofsky – he only did it when I was alone. There's no way you're going to notice it. Besides, it's my fault too – I'm keeping it as a secret"

"Did papa Burt know?"

Kurt shook his head.

"So far, it's only Sam and you"

"I'm going to go and kick Karofsky cowardice ass!" Mercedes grunted. Kurt chuckled.

"Looks like Devil Spawn is not as evil as you thought, huh?" he said – fishing for any reaction from Mercedes. He swallowed his laughter when he noticed the fluster looks. Mercedes shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe" she said, nonchalantly. Her mind wandered to the choir room's incident. She felt bad for the few bad words that she had called Sam.

"You know, Diva. I asked Sam about his black eye and he told me what happened" Kurt said, looking at Mercedes with a smirk. "And I must say, for someone who just  _forcefully_  being kissed, you didn't look angry at all. When you texted me, I expected to see you in a rage – rampaging on the fact that Sam had stolen your  _first_  kiss. To tell you the truth, I was kind of disappointed with the lack of drama" Kurt pouted. He laughed when he noticed that Mercedes was blushing.

"I was mad, okay! The black eye is the proof of how mad I was!" she huffed – annoyed that Kurt was still teasing her. "Now, I just thought that – that – it was nothing. Besides, I already punched him. There's nothing to dwell on anymore" she mumbled.

"Really, Cedes?" Kurt asked, teasingly.

"Oh, shut up!" Mercedes said as she got up and head to the door, leaving the laughing Kurt alone.

* * *

"Okay, let's get the duets on!" Mr. Schuester said as he strolled into the choir room. He stopped his track when he saw Sam.

"Sam, are you okay? What's wrong with your eye?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just had a little disagreement with – urm – my brother. That's all" Sam lied as he side-eyeing Kurt and Mike who were miserably failing in trying to hide their laughter.

"Oh, okay then. Are you guys ready? Mike and Brittany, the stage is yours" Mr. Schuester said. The two dancers came forward and performed their duet – You're the One that I Want from Grease. After Mike and Brittany, it was Artie and Finn's turn. They decided to go with Philip Bailey and Phil Collins' Easy Lover.

"Well, Sam and Kurt, are you guys ready?"

Sam and Kurt sat on the stools. Sam started to play his guitar while Kurt was moving his upper body, getting lost in the song as they started singing.

_Say, Say, Say What You Want,_

_But Don't Play Games With My Affection._

_Take, Take, Take What You Need,_

_But Don't Leave Me With No Direction._

_All Alone, I Sit Home By The Phone,_

_Waiting For You, Baby._

_Through The Years,_

_How Can You Stand To Hear,_

_My Pleading For You Dear?_

_You Know I'm Crying Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh._

_Go, Go, Go Where You Want,_

_But Don't Leave Me Here Forever._

_You, You, You Stay Away,_

_So Long Girl, I See You Never._

_What Can I Do_

_Girl To Get Through To You?_

_Cause I Love You Baby._

_Standing Here, Baptisted In All My Tears,_

_Baby Through The Years,_

_You Know I'm Crying Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh._

_You Never Worry,_

_And You Never Shed A Tear._

_You Saying That My Love Ain't Real,_

_Just Look At My Face,_

_These Tears Ain't Drying_

_You, You, You Can Never Say,_

_That I'm Not The One Who Really Loves You._

_I Pray, Pray, Pray Every Day_

_That You'll See Things, Girl Like I Do._

_What Can I Do Girl, To Get Through To You? Cause I Love You Baby._

_Standing Here Baptised In All My Tears, Baby Through The Years,_

_You Know I'm Crying, Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh_

Mercedes' eyes were transfixed on Sam who was expertly playing the guitar. She couldn't help but smile as she watched him enjoying himself. Truth was, after Kurt's confession and knowing what Sam had done had definitely shade a new light on him. She admitted that Sam wasn't bad and Mercedes wouldn't say it out loud, but watching Sam losing himself as he sang the acoustic version of Say Say Say by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson at the moment was a sight that she could definitely enjoy. He looked so attractive and captivating as his fingers expertly moving on the strings. Mercedes was shaking out of her reverie by the loud applause as Kurt and Sam finished their song. Mr. Schuester stood up and smiled as he looked at his students – praising them for their songs choices.

"Now, write your vote and put it in this box" he told them. Each of them wrote did as they were told.

"I do hope we win" Santana said. Mercedes nodded. They waited with baited breath as they wait for Mr. Schuester to count the votes.

"Well, looks like we have our winner!" Mr. Schuester said with wide smile. His eyes landed on Santana and Mercedes.

"Santana, Mercedes, congratulations!" he said, laughing when the girls screamed with joy as they hugged each other. Sam smiled widely as he watched the look of joy on Mercedes' face.

"You look as if you're the one who win" Kurt nudged him. He just shrugged and kept watching Mercedes who was celebrating her winning with Santana.

 


	6. Sam I AM

Mercedes smiled as she waved goodbye to Santana who was off to celebrate their winning with Brittany. She walked toward Kurt who was waiting for her. They linked their arms together and started to walk toward the corridor – talking animatedly. Kurt saw Karofsky from afar and tried to calm himself down – thinking that he won't do anything to him since he was with Mercedes. Turned out, Kurt was wrong. When Karofsky met with them, he shoved Kurt so hard that he fell down, startling Mercedes who was beside him.

"Hey, why don't you use your big eyes when you're walking?!" Mercedes yelled as she helped Kurt stood up.

"What? Do you have a problem with me?" Karofsky replied back, haughtily.

"Yeah, I do! I have a problem with the way you treat my best friend!"

"He's fag! He deserves what I did to him! Fag like -," Karofsky's words trailed off when Mercedes slapped him. Kurt tried to pull her away when he saw the anger in Karofsky's eyes but Mercedes wouldn't budge.

"You bitch!" Karofsky said as he marched forward. Mercedes stood fixed on her legs as she stared at him.

"Leave her alone, Karofsky. You have a problem with me, not her" Kurt said. Karofsky smirked.

"Wow, sissy trying to act tough, huh? Oooh, how scare" he said mockingly.

"Leave him alone, Karofsky! Why don't you take your ass and walk away?" Mercedes stepped up in front of Kurt – trying to intimidate Karofsky. She yelped when Karofsky reached for her wrist and pulled her toward him. He leaned forward until she could feel his breath on her.

"Why don't you take your big ass and walk away?" he spat as he raised his hand. Mercedes started to feel scare but trying to hide her fear. She tried to free her wrist from his powerful grip.

"Hey, why don't you pick someone equal to fight with? Only pussy hit girl and – someone who's weaker than him!"

Mercedes was startled when Sam appeared out of nowhere and released Karofsky's grip from her wrist. He looked at her and Kurt – asking if they were okay. Then, out of the blue, Karofsky's fist hit Sam, making him tumbling down on the corridor. Mercedes and Kurt gasped as they watched Sam holding his nose and there's some blood coming out of it. They wanted to help him but he stopped them as he got up and hit Karofsky back. He punched his stomach, making him stumbled before he hit his face.

"Hey, what's going on here?!" Principal Sue appeared and grabbed both Sam and Karofsky, separating them from each other.

"He hit me first!" Karofsky said.

"Is that right, Ladylips?"

"No! Karofsky was harassing Kurt and I. He was the one who hit Sam!" Mercedes said. Sue looked at the two teenagers and released them from her grip.

"I let you go this time. If this happen again, I am dragging both of you into my office and you'll face the consequences!" she said before walking away. Mercedes and Kurt immediately went toward Sam.

"This is not over, Evans!" Karofsky said as he walked away. Sam wanted to go get him but Kurt and Mercedes stopped him.

"Ugh, your face looks horrible. This is not the look I want to show my parents" Kurt said as he examined Sam's face.

"It's okay. My parents aren't home yet" Sam said. He saw Mercedes turned and walking away and his heart hurt a little. But, a moment later, she came back with a cold pack in her hand and gave it to him without a word.

"Thanks" he said, smiling widely.

"I don't think you should drive. So, give me your key" she said to him. Sam frowned but still reached for his car's key in his pocket and gave it to Mercedes.

"I'll drive Sam home"

"Drive me home? Wh – what about your car?"

"She rode with me this morning" Kurt explained. They went and took their books from their lockers and head to the parking lot.

* * *

The whole ride back was awkward. Mercedes was being quiet and Sam was lost for words. He didn't know what to say. All the conversation starters that he replayed in his mind sounded awkward and corny. Therefore, he just ended up pressing the cold pack to his nose and said nothing. Without he realized, they had arrived at his home. Mercedes parked the car and Sam quickly getting down the car and went to open her door for her.

"Thank you. Here is your key" she said, handing him the key.

"Thank you for volunteering to be my driver" he said and winked at her, scrunching his nose. She smiled at him. He watched as she walked to her home.

* * *

The fact that Sam was helping Kurt with the bullying definitely shaded a new light on him. Then, when he just appeared out of nowhere and helped her definitely told Mercedes that Sam Evans wasn't a bad person. Kurt was right. The way he acted years ago, didn't define the current him. Mercedes sat on the couch in the living room. Her eyes caught something on the bookshelf – a blue album. She went and took it and went back to sit on the couch. Opening the album, she smiled as she saw a picture of her mother and Mary when they were pregnant. Turning the page, she saw a picture of two babies – a black baby girl and a white baby boy. Sammy and Mercedes were written on it. Flipping through it, her smile went wider as she looked at photos of her and Sam from babies till they were five. The photos definitely brought back all the nice memories of her and Sam that she had locked inside her mind. Mercedes was shocked when she felt a drop of tear on her hand. She quickly wiped her tears and headed to the kitchen. She checked the cookies tin and smiled when the cookies that she had baked last night were still there. She took a Tupperware and put all the cookies in it. She gave herself a once over and when she satisfied with what she was wearing, she took the Tupperware and her keys, locked the door and walked to her next door neighbor's house. Mercedes nervously stood in front of the door. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. She knocked the door. On the third knock, the door was opened and Sam stood in front of her with a confused expression.

"Can I come in?" she asked. Sam nodded and made way for her to walk inside before he closed the door. He followed her as she went to the living room.

"Here, I brought some cookies for you" she said. Sam took the cookies tin and thanked her. Mercedes smiled nervously as she watched Sam disappeared to the kitchen. A moment later, he came back with the cookies in a plate and two glasses of lemonade. He put the cookies on the coffee table and gave a glass of lemonade to Mercedes before he sat on the across her.

"How's your nose?" Mercedes asked. She was fiddling with her fingers.

"It's okay. Just minor bruise. I'm just glad that it's not broken" Sam said, chuckling. Mercedes smiled. She cleared her throat and she looked at Sam who was sitting on the ottoman.

"Look, I – urm – the reason – I – am here is because I'm – umm – want to apologize to you"

Sam looked at her, puzzled.

"Apologize? Why?"

"Because of the name calling and because of the way I reacted when I talked to you before. It was extremely rude and I shouldn't do that. I – It just – Kurt is my best friend, you know. We've been together since we were five and it is my job to protect him. When you denied about your 'relationship' with him – I just – it's like something snap in me and my only thought was that I need to protect Kurt"

"Mi – Mercedes. It's okay. I understood. Besides, I would react like you did too if I was in your place. So, don't need to worry about it" Sam said, smiling.

"You know – I hated you" she said. Sam gave her a wry smile. He knew about it – even before Kurt told him about it.

"I know" he said in a low tone. Mercedes bit her lower lip.

"I – it just the way you acted before you left years ago really annoyed me" she said, looking at him. "Weird enough, I still remember all the terrible things that you did to me. Kurt was right. I was being childish and I am sorry for that too. It was in the past and we're all young and stupid"

"I'm – I am extremely sorry for my stupid behavior in the past. Truth was, I – was jealous" Sam confessed. Kurt had told him to apologize to Mercedes but he couldn't find the perfect timing to do it. Even without Kurt probing it, he knew that he should apologize for all the evil things that he had done to her. "Mimi, you and I were really close before. Then, Kurt appeared and suddenly it was just the two of you. I was being kicked to the sideline and I guess – I was mad at you and at Kurt,  _especially_. He just came and stole my best friend. That – that's why I harassed you. I want you to pay attention to me. I guess, being a five year olds, I didn't really know how to express my feelings. I am so sorry for being a jerk"

Mercedes was surprised when she heard it. All these years, she had been blaming Sam for being a bad friend, while the reality was that she was to be blamed too. Both of them were at fault.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I don't know. I – I should be a better friend but I failed. I -,"

"Hey, it's not a big deal. We were five years old – clueless kids. Why don't we start anew?" Sam said, smiling widely. He gave her his hand. "Hi, I'm Sam. Sam I am and I don't like green eggs and ham" he said. With the same wide smile, Mercedes reached for his hand.

"Hi, Sam I am. I am Mercedes – diva extraordinaire! Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too, Mercedes. Do you mind if I call you Mimi? It's my best friend's name and you sort of remind me of her" he said, smiling lopsidedly when he saw Mercedes rolling her eyes.

"You're not going to stop calling me that, aren't you?" she asked.

"Nope!" he said, smirking. She rolled her eyes good-naturely and he felt his stomach flipped. He noticed that her small hand was still enveloped by his large hand and he had no intention of letting go. Unfortunately, Mercedes realized it and she slowly retracted her hand from him. She sipped her lemonade and looked at him.

"You know – I saw some pictures of us from we were babies before I came here" she said.

"Really? I bet I was the cutest baby ever" he said teasingly. Sam laughed when Mercedes made a face. They talked and talked about everything – getting to know each other from scratch. Sam was definitely enjoying the comfortable atmosphere that they had together. Seeing Mercedes laughed and chatted happily reminded him of all the time they always did the same when they were little kids.

"Oh, look at the time! I need to prepare dinner!" Mercedes said once she noticed the time. Sam was reluctant to let her went home but he had no choice. He walked her to the door. Before he managed to open the door, it was being opened by his father.

"Mercedes! What a surprise!" Mary said once she saw Mercedes.

"Hey, Momma Mary. I stopped by to give some cookies. They're in the kitchen" she said. Stevie and Stacey who saw her, ran toward her while shouting her name. She hugged the twins and told them about the cookies.

"Well, why don't you stay for dinner? We're getting pizza tonight"

"I'd love to, but I can't. It's my turn to cook tonight. Maybe next time" she said. They bade goodbye and she walked home. Mary and Dwight exchanged looks when they saw the wide smile on Sam's face.

* * *

Dwight sat on his work chair and stared at his wife who had been facing back and forth for quite a while. He sighed as he noticed that there was no sign of stopping Mary.

"I thought you want them to be nice to each other like before. So, what's the problem?" he asked. His question seemed to stop Mary and she went and sat across him.

"I do and I am happy that they finally rekindle their friendship. It just – didn't you think it was suspicious?" she asked. Dwight frowned.

"They were alone in the house, Dwight! ALONE! When Cedes mentioned about cookies before, I definitely thought that they were having sex or something. Luckily she meant the  _real_  cookies – not something else"

"Mary, honey. You are being a worrywart. I am sure that Sam knows what he's doing"

"Dwight Richard Evans. Your son is a hormonal 17 years old teenager boy. I don't know about you, but I am not ready to be a grandmother yet. I'm too young for that"

Dwight rolled his eyes. He let out a sigh.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Well, give him the talk!"

"What talk?" he asked, frowning. It was Mary turned to sigh now.

"The  _sex_  talk, Dwight" she said exasperatedly, rubbing her temple.

"Honey, he already had the sex talk when he asked where babies came from years ago"

"That was a different talk! Like I said before, this talk is for our 17 years son who might be doing the horizontal tango with a girl that he likes since god knows when! Let me tell you one thing, dearest husband. Since we've been here, I caught him  _secretly_  washing his sheets and clothes for a few time at two in the morning! Do I need to refresh your memory as to why boys need to secretly washing their sheets?"

"Maybe he just got the urge to help you with laundry?" Dwight attempt to cover for Sam was fruitless and the glare that Mary shot him made him shut up.

"He it is so, he won't turn all sort of crimson red when I asked him what he was doing! The point is, talk to him"

"Fine. I talk to him later. Although, I don't think you have to worry about it. They just started talking again and I am extremely confident that it just friendship" Dwight sighed when Mary looked pointedly at him. "I promise that I'll talk to him as soon as possible" he continued.

 


	7. Father's gift

Sam was cheerful. His steps were light and he felt that he could anything that he wanted. The world was his. He was truly jubilant and happy that even the insult of his mouth that Santana threw at him when she met him in the school hallway had done nothing to spoil his mood. He went to the locker and took his Algebra's book before heading to his first period. Once arrived at the class, he smile wider when he saw Mercedes was already in the class. Without wasting another second, Sam went to sit next to her.

"Hey, Mimi"

"Hi, Sam"

His heart fluttered when she greeted him.

"Well, this is something that I thought I'll never see" Kurt said. His eyebrows rising as he looked at Sam and Mercedes. "Please, do tell me. What happens to 'he is your arch nemesis, Kurt', huh, Cedes?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes at Kurt.

"We called truce yesterday" she said. Kurt hid his laughter and nodded while looking at them suspiciously – especially the fact that Sam had some kind of giddy aura surrounding him. He looked like a kid who was high on sugar.

"I think that's good. Besides, I am tired of hearing someone whining at me" Kurt said, looking at Sam. "Well, Sam. Seems like you'll be taken my seat from now on, huh? I guess I can deal with it. Besides, Mike is Algebra's genius. I can seat next to him" he continued and then walked to sit next to Mike in the row next to Sam and Mercedes.

"I have the feeling that he'll be stealing my seat beside Mercedes in all the class that we have together" he said to Mike who chuckled at him.

* * *

Dwight was going to Stevie's room when he saw Sam – staring blankly at his window. He was about to call his son when he saw Mercedes through the window. Sam was staring hard at her and Dwight finally understood the reason behind Mary's wariness of their son's attraction to Mercedes. Dwight's eyes almost bulge out of their sockets when he saw Mercedes was about to lift her top.

"Samuel Michael Evans!" he yelled – startling Sam. The scenario where Sam scampered to shut the curtain drapes was funny if Dwight wasn't angry at him. Sam gulped down his saliva as he started at his father. He wanted to try to weasel his way out of the hard stares but he knew that there was nothing that he could do. Besides, it wasn't his fault that Mercedes decided to open her top at the time.

"I think you owe me an explanation, Sam. How long has it been going on?" he asked, coldly. Sam bit his lower lip.

"I'm asking you a question, Sam!"

"Ever since we moved here" Sam mumbled – looking at his feet. Dwight Evans rarely got mad at his children. He was a playful and friendly man. However, the occasional rare moments where he was angry were something that should be feared of.

"I raised you better than this, Son. Your mother and I taught you that women should be treated with respect and honour. We never teach you to be some kind of creepy peeping tom. Do you know how disrespectful your act was? This is not a way to treat a girl whom you loved for almost all your life, Samuel"

"I – I'm –" Sam was at loss. He had been caught and he knew that he had acted shamelessly. "I intend to pull the drape and cover the window, but you caught me before I managed to do that" he said.

"Don't lie to me, Sam. I can tell when you're lying"

"I'm sorry. I mean – she wasn't talking with me before – always dismissing me whenever I tried to talk her. Watching her – just like – it sorts of a replacement for not getting to talk to her"

Dwight stared at his eldest son, eyebrow rising. He knew that Sam was telling the truth but he wouldn't tell him that.

"Have you – urm – seen her – topless?"

Sam looked at his feet again and nodded, ashamed.

"Samuel!" Dwight's voice rose due to the shocking truth.

"It was only twice! I'm telling you the truth! The first time was on the night we moved. It happened so fast that I didn't get to look at it. Then, the second time was – urm – last month. I was just got back from practice. The window was opened when I got home!"

"You should stop doing this. I'm serious, son. I raised you better than this. You and I will have a talk later on"

"Yes, sir. It won't happen again"

* * *

Mary wasn't surprised when Dwight told her about Sam's creepy act. She just looked at her husband, eyebrows rising as if saying that she had expected that kind of behavior to occur.

"Two words, Dwight" she said, raising her two fingers. "Hormonal. Teenager. I told you about it but you don't believe me. Now, you saw it with your own eyes" she continued.

"We raised him to be respectful toward women, ladies, girls and people in general! Now, he – he's acting like he had never seen a girl!" Dwight yelled, out of frustration. Mary chuckled under her breath.

"I told you to send him to a co-ed school, but you and your stubborn big head wanted to send him to that all boys school. Now, deal with the after effect of it" she said. Dwight side-eyed his wife as she sat and sipped her sweet tea. Mary let out a sigh. She stood and went toward her husband, rubbing his back.

"Honey, Sam likes Cedes. He likes her since god knows when. Don't you remember how excited he was when we told him that we would be going back to Lima? We decided to let him finish his school there but he begged to let him study in here. We chose Dalton for him, but  _no_ , he wanted to go to the public school when he knew that Dalton is an all boy school. Everything was because of  _one_  reason –  _Mercedes_. Why do you think he fought so hard with Stevie for his old room back? Because he knew that Mercedes' room was across it. Our son is young and hopelessly in love. He acted a little bit creepy but – that's because of the fact that Cedes used to not like him and it is also due to all those pent up hormone that's been trapped inside him for who knows how long. Besides, a hormonal teen who is in love is usually do something unthinkable like what he did. Did I need to remind you of your old behavior? Remember the guy who used to follow me around till he got my number?" Mary asked, smiling. Dwight smiled as he pulled her to sit on his lap and kissed her.

"Yeah, that guy is still very much in love with you" he said, smiling widely.

"I'm all gunning for Sammy and his romantic story but I am definitely not ready to be a grandmother yet! So, you better go and talk with your son"

"You're right. But first, I have something to do" he said as he raised Mary from his laps and stood up. He reached for his car keys and headed out without any explanation to his wife. Mary just shrugged as she continued her afternoon tea.

* * *

Sam was surprised when his father knocked on his door and told him that he had something to talk with him. He finished writing his last answer for Algebra and closed his book. Dwight sat on Sam's bed – facing his son who was sitting on his study chair. He was holding a small bag.

"Look, son. I think it is time" Dwight started. Sam frowned as he looked at his father. He was confused.

"Here" Dwight said as he gave the small bag to Sam. Sam's brows furrowed as he opened the bag. His face turned dark red as soon as he noticed the bag's content.

"Dad, wh – what are these?" he asked as he looked at the many boxes of condom in different types, sizes and brands.

"That is something essentials that you will be needed sometimes in the near future or whenever your horniness starts to make it appearances" Dwight said in a straight face. He wanted to laugh as Sam's face turned darker and the way he looked so uncomfortable, but Dwight held it. He needed to finish the talk with his son.

"Dad!" Sam whined.

"No,  _you_  listen here, young man. With the way you've been behaving, I can't take any chances that you won't have sex when the opportunity shows itself. Your mother and I, we're just being cautious. Both of us are too young to be grandparents and we are definitely in nowhere ready to hold that title. I believe the Jones would share the same sentiment too. I won't give you the sex talk because I knew that you probably know about sex more than me. What I need you to do is being safe. Always practice safe sex. Wrapped your junk!"

"Dad!" Sam yelled but Dwight ignored him.

"Listen to me. Wrapped your penis every time you're involved in intercourse. Don't go around, spraying your seed. Only does it when you are ready – which means  _years_  ahead, when you have a stable job to support your family and  _preferably_  married. I've got you supplies that would last you months, depends on how sexually active you are. It should be enough. Are we clear, Sam?" Dwight said. Sam just nodded briefly. He couldn't even look at his father. Dwight chuckled. He stood up and patted his son's shoulder before he left the room.

"So?" Mary – who had been waiting outside the room asked when she saw her husband. Dwight wiggled his eyebrows playfully as he went to hug his wife in his arm.

"It feels nice to embarrass the kid once in a while" he said and they both laughed. "Boy, his face was so red and he cannot even look at me in the eyes!"

* * *

The talk that he had with his father was extremely embarrassing. Even a day after they had it, Sam still couldn't shake it out of his head. The evident of their talk, a.k.a the many boxes of condom that his father had given to him was safely tucked in his drawer. The talk was definitely a nightmare but he knew that his father was right. Hell, he and Mercedes wasn't even dating and they just only being friends once again but he already kept on having wild dreams about her. He didn't even know what would happen to him if she agreed to be with him.  _Probably die and go to heaven_ , Sam thought. He smiled when he saw her waving at him. He fastened his steps toward her.

"Hey" he said. "How's your day?" he asked.

"Quite good. I got A for my Geography test!"

"That's great"

They talked animatedly as they walked side by side to Glee Club. They were so engrossed in their talking that they didn't even notice the weird looks that their fellow Glee clubbers threw at them.

"What the hell?" Finn said.

"When did that happen?" Santana muttered, frowning.

"Am I in Twilight zone?" Tina said as her eyes followed Mercedes and Sam who went to sit in the seats next to Mike. They were laughing and talking – totally ignoring their surroundings. Santana scrunches her face when she heard Mercedes giggling at Sam's corny impressions. She and Tina exchanged a look and when they saw Kurt walking into the choir room, they immediately went and pulled him toward the girl's toilet.

"Hey!" Kurt yelled as he loosened their grips on his shirt.

"Alright, Kurt! Tell us the truth!" Tina said. Kurt frowned.

"What truth?" he asked. The two girls rolled their eyes at him.

"Sam and Mercedes"

"Trouty and Aretha!" Santana and Tina said at the same time.

"What about them?" Kurt asked, confused and intrigued at the same time.

"You don't know?" Tina asked.

"About what?" Kurt asked, starting to lose his cool due to the questions that the two girls were asking.

"Don't you see them?" Santana asked.

"Well, they seem normal in our first period. Nothing wrong or weird happened"

"Didn't you notice something different between them?" Tina asked. Kurt shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. Santana groaned.

"Aren't you weird seeing them all friendly with each other? I mean, Aretha couldn't even stand that boy before this and today – they seem like best friends! Is there anything going on between them that you and Aretha keep from us?" Santana said, eyes staring deeply into Kurt's.

"Nothing! Cedes decided to forgive Sam for whatever he had done to her when they were kids. Besides, they used to be really close before. So, I guess, they just rekindling their long lost friendship?" he said. Kurt raised his right hand as if he was taking a vow when Santana and Tina stared at him with their dagger eyes. "I swear! There's nothing going on between them!" he said. The two girls sighed exasperatedly.

"Fine! We believe you!" Tina said, defeatedly.


	8. Coming Clean

As Kurt had expected, Sam had totally taken all of his places beside Mercedes in all the classes that they had together, which made him stuck with Mike.

"Guess I'll be your desk mate till the end of school year" Kurt said as he sat next to Mike and looked at Mercedes and Sam who was laughing about something.

"He needs to tell her that he is head over hills about her" Mike added. "All the lovesick giggles and the dopey smiles had started to make me queasy" he continued. Kurt chuckled.

"No!" Mercedes said as she playfully smacked Sam's shoulder and giggled.

"Yup! Totally did that! I threw your dear Stevie into the pool!"

"How could you? You're his big brother!"

"Well, he started it first! You know, he broke my GI Joe's figure! I've had it since I was six!"

"Oh, Sam Evans, you're such a big baby!"

"No, I'm not! Someone needs to teach that little devil about manners and I was just doing my job as a big brother!"

Mercedes rolled her eyes at Sam's exclamation.

"Really? I honestly think that Stevie gets all of his bad traits from you, Mr. Devil Spawn. Do I need to remind you what did you do to my doll's hair?"

Sam bit his lower lip; guilt crept into his heart when Mercedes talked about her doll's hair.

"That's different. I – urm – I had my reason – and – urm – I told you I'm sorry, right?"

Mercedes laughed as she playfully smacked his arm. Sam looked adorable when he looked at her with the guilty expression.

"It's all in the past, Sammy. I don't hold the grudge anymore" she said soothingly, making Sam smiled at her. They were staring into each other's eyes with a wide smile on their faces. The spaces between them were starting to get closer and closer until they were inches apart. Sam was about to lean forward when the door was opened rather harshly and Kurt walked into the room.

"I knew it! I knew that you were together! I don't even know why you guys had phones when none of you answer them! I've been texting and calling you two since two hours ago!" he ranted as he pacing around the room. Kurt stopped pacing and looked at Sam and Mercedes. He noticed their closeness and raised his eyebrows. "Oh! Did I interrupt something?" he asked. Sam and Mercedes quickly put a distance between them and shook their heads frantically. Kurt looked at them skeptically when he noticed their sheepish looks. He was about to open his mouth when Mercedes quickly asked him the reason he was looking for them.

"Well, I was looking for you actually, Diva. But since I couldn't get a hold of you, I tried to call Sam. Apparently, he didn't know that he should answer his phone when it ringing too!" Kurt rambled. Sam checked his phone and saw that he had five missed calls from Kurt, together with a bunch of texts.

"Sorry. I forgot to turn off the silent mode" he said. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"So, the reason behind this frantic calls, is?" Mercedes asked.

"We need to come out with the costume design for Sectionals and I already had the perfect design! So, both of us and Tina should start working now!" Kurt explained excitedly.

"Great! I'll call Tina and ask her to come over!" Mercedes said.

"I guess that's my cue to leave. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow" Sam said. He hugged Mercedes and waved his hand at Kurt before he left the room. Kurt raised his eyebrow as he looked at Mercedes.

"Are you sure there's nothing between you and Sam?" he asked. Mercedes looked at him – frowning and then chuckling as she shook her head.

"We're just friends! Besides, you know Sam. He's – urm – affectionate" she said.

"To you only" Kurt muttered under his breath.  _That idiot, he should've made a move on her already!_  He thought.

* * *

Kurt was just getting out of his car when he saw Mercedes parked her car. He was about to call her when he saw Sam got out from the driver seat and Mercedes came out from the passenger seat. He frowned at the sight. His instinct was telling him that there was something going on between both of them. However, every time he asked Mercedes or Sam, they would tell them the opposite. Sam had even confessed that he didn't have enough courage to tell Mercedes about his true feeling yet. Kurt watched as Sam and Mercedes walked toward the school's building.

"Hey, Mike!" he yelled when he saw Mike walked passed him. He jogged toward Mike.

"Something is definitely going on! Ha! You owe me 50 bucks!" he said. Mike chuckled.

"Oh, Kurtsie, you're definitely an amateur. There's nothing going on,  _yet_ " he said. Kurt frowned. He crossed his arms and brought them to his chest, staring at Mike.

"And how did  _you_  know this?" he asked.

"Oh, that's easy. I know Sam and judging from his characteristics, he won't be able to keep his hands from her if they are together. Trust me. They might be worse than Rachel and Puck when it comes to PDA"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just so you know, I caught them in a compromising position yesterday evening" Kurt huffed.

"Why are you still here? The class is about to start!" Santana said, startling the two boys.

"We're just talking about Sam and Mercedes. We have a bet going on – you know, about when will they become a couple" Mike explained. Santana gave them a feral smile.

"Well, if that's so… count me in. Honestly, they  _do_  seem quite suspicious" she said, smiling mendaciously. "Besides, I am bored and figuring those two's relationship might be fulfilling my free time" she added. Kurt rolled his eyes as he heard that.

* * *

Sam sat on the grass. He was staring at the lake. He had found the spot when he was driving aimlessly – wasting some times before it was the time to pick up Stevie from his soccer practice. Ever since then, he would always go there, whenever he wanted to think. He took a deep breath and let it out after a while. He brought his hands behind his head and laid down on the grass – staring at the blue sky. His mind drifted to Mercedes – as always. Ever since he had been caught staring at Mercedes by his dad, Sam had stopped 'stalking' her from his window. Although he had promised his dad that he would apologize to her, he had not done it yet. Truth was, he was afraid of her reaction when she knew what he had done. They had been really close now that it felt like they were best friends again. Sam always knew that he wanted more than being her friend, but he didn't know whether he should tell her about his feeling or not. Then, the almost kiss that was so close to happen if it wasn't for Kurt's interruption. He always felt his heart beating frantically every time he thought about it. It lighted a flicker of hope that  _maybe_  Mercedes shared the same feeling toward him. Sam got up and sat as he made his mind. He would tell Mercedes about his feeling after he had come clean about his past stalker-ish attitude. The worse she can say is no, he thought. He never thought a simple word containing two letters would have so much effect toward him. Sam stood up and went to his car – praying that all luck would side with him.

* * *

Mercedes frowned as her eyes followed Sam who was pacing in front of her. She sighed as she reached for his arm – asking him to stop pacing back and forth.

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you have a problem? We can talk about it. Stop pacing around and making me dizzy!"

Sam let out his breath. He stared at her.

"I have something to tell you" he said. Mercedes frowned deeper but she didn't say anything – waiting for Sam to continue.

"Do you realize that our room's windows are facing each other?" Sam asked tentatively. Mercedes hesitantly nodded – remembering the few times she accidently saw Sam and his gloriously sexy body, without any clothes on.

"You might also realize that my study table – in my room – urm – sort of facing your room" Sam added. Mercedes nodded. To be honest, she was quite confuse – trying to figure the message that Sam was trying to tell her.

"So?"

"Well – urm, I" Sam started. He raked his hair with his fingers, letting out a huge sigh. "You see – I really really  _really_  like you. When we first moved back here, I was dying to talk to you – hence, I – urm – I sort of watching you from the window – in NOT a creepy way!" he immediately added. "Although I might've seen you topless a few times. But that's all!" he continued. Mercedes was shocked at first. After calming herself down and did some thinking and reflection, she looked at Sam. The blonde boy was biting his lower lip – a gesture that he always did whenever he was guilty about something. Mercedes shook her head.

"It's okay" she said, reaching for his hand. Sam stared at her – shocked.

"Really?" he asked. Mercedes nodded and smiled at him.

"To be fair, I've seen you topless quite a few times too. But to be sure," she said, looking at him. "You didn't take any picture, right?" she asked. Sam shook his head. He raised his right hand – as if he was taking an oath.

"I swear that I didn't take any picture or whatsoever! I just look at you! That's all!" he said. Mercedes chuckled.

"Okay, I believe you, Sammy" she said. "About what you said – that you really like me. Are you serious?"

Sam blushed. He nodded and smiled sheepishly as his green eyes met her hazel doe-like eyes.

"I like you since as long as I can remember. Why do you think I was so desperate to talk to you before? You were the reason I joined Glee Club and the kiss – when you ambushed me about Kurt. I did everything because I really like you" he said, reaching for her hands – enveloping them with his bigger ones. "So, Miss Jones, would you be my girlfriend?"

Mercedes couldn't help but smile as she heard his confession.

"Yes" she said, smiling widely when he asked her to be his girlfriend. Sam was surprised when she said yes.

"Are you sure?" he asked excitedly. He pulled her for a hug when she nodded. Mercedes laughed when Sam fist pump the air. Her laughter stopped when she saw his piercing emerald green eyes were staring at her.

"May I kiss you?" he asked. His voice was so low that it sent shiver to her spine. She nodded and Sam slowly closed the distance between them. His hands moved to cup her face and he gradually descended his lips onto hers. The kiss was slow and sensual as they both savored the moment. They broke the kiss and stared at each other; both with a dopey grins on their faces.

"I have something to ask you" Mercedes said. She continued when Sam said nothing. "Can we keep our relationship as secret?"

"W- why?"

"Well, you know, I don't want people to be all up in my business. Besides, our – I mean  _my_  friends are nosy as hell. This is my first relationship and I want to fully enjoy it without other people meddling into it"

Sam thought about it and nodded. "Can we tell our parents?"

"Sure. I just don't want other people to know about it"

"I understand. We can keep this as a secret"

 


	9. The Rents

Devon Jones was shocked. He was utterly surprised when his baby girl – the one whom he had taken care with love and guarded with all of his life told him that she was going on a date. The  _one thing_  that he was scared of was now becoming a reality. His baby girl _, his Mercedes_  was going out on a date. He cleared his throat as his side-eyed the overjoyed Janine who was definitely over the moon by the fact that someone had finally gathered his courage and asked their daughter for a date.

"Who is this boy? Do we know him?" Devon asked. His tone was hard and serious. He definitely hated the smile that instantly appeared on Mercedes' face when she thought of the said guy. He noticed how bashful she was when she talked about the guy.

"You guys know him" she said shyly.

"Oh, is it one of your Glee club's members?" Janine asked excitedly. Mercedes nodded.

"It's Sam" she said _. I knew it_ , Devon groused under his breath while Janine clapped her hands excitedly.

"How long have you guys been dating?" Devon asked.

"We – urm – it's our first date, daddy. He asked me out few days ago"

"Fine, then. Remember the rules. Not a minute pass your curfew or he's out"

* * *

Mary and Dwight looked at each other when Sam told them about him and Mercedes. Mary wiggled her eyebrows while grinning widely.

"Finally! I've been waiting for this news since forever! I almost think that you won't get her! What take you so long to ask that girl out? You've been ogling her ever since you were six!" Mary said.

"Mom!" Sam yelled. Mary huffed.

"Well, I was just saying the truth!" she retorted. Sam looked at his dad, but Dwight just shrugged his shoulders.

"You're mom's right. You won't be staring at her through your window like some creeper if you don't like her. The woman's got a point there!"

Sam huffed. "Well, you know why! She hated me before and well – I finally gathered enough courage to tell her about my feeling" he explained. Sam looked at his parents. "Is that mean you approved of Mercedes and I?" he asked. Dwight and Mary smiled and then nodded.

"We always know that you like her. Besides, we love her likes our own daughter. There's nothing to oppose" Mary said.

"Your mother is right. However, it's not  _our_  approval that you need to worry about, son" Dwight said, smirking. Sam looked at his father, confused. "It's Devon whom you need to be wary about, Sam. You're going to ask his permission to date his baby girl. I'm pretty sure that he will grill you before he lets you take his baby girl out. You're lucky that he doesn't know about your stalking incident or he won't let you near Mercedes"

Sam gulped down his saliva. He totally forgot about Dr. Jones. The image of Dr. Jones' large built and stern face came into his mind and he shuddered at the image.

"Oh, Dwight! Way to go in scaring your son, even before he starts asking permission to date Mercedes from Devon!" Mary said, slapping Dwight's arm.

"I just warn him so that he would be prepared when the time comes! You know how protective Devon can be when it involves Mercedes. Sammy, here was lucky they were just six when he bullied her years ago or he won't be able to live until now!" Dwight retorted back – defending himself. Mary scoffed in annoyance. She smiled at her eldest son and reaching for his hand, patting it softly.

"Don't worry, Sammy. Devon likes you and I am sure that he would be happy that Mercedes had chosen to date you out of other guys"

Sam smiled. "I hope so, mom"

"I'll give you extra allowance for the date. Make sure to treat Mercedes right, Sam. Always be a gentleman. Remember our talk from before? When you're ready to hit the sack, make sure to wrap your -,"

"Dad!" Sam retorted. His face was as red as beet and he couldn't even look at his parents.

"What? I am giving you the advice of the lifetime! Trying to warn you about the risk that could happen if you're being careless. Do I need to remind you about the statistic of teenage pregnancy in the US?"

"Okay, I'm out of here!" Sam quickly said when he noticed that his father didn't seem to have the decency of stopping from talking about it. He stood up from the couch and headed to his room.

* * *

"Is that necessary?" Mary asked, giving Dwight a dirty look. Dwight shrugged his shoulders.

"He made me 100 Dollars poorer. He deserves a little humiliation" he said as he took out 100 Dollars from his pocket and gave it to his wife, while grumbling. "He should've acted sooner. I just miss the timing by one week!"

Mary accepted the money with a triumph smile. "A mother knows her son the best, honey! You don't have to be so salty about it" she said before she kissed him. Looking around and noticed that they were alone in the living room, Mary straddled Dwight's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck as she lowered her lips to meet his – kissing him deeply.

"I'll reward you later" she whispered seductively once their lips detached from each other. Dwight smiled lopsidedly as he leaned for another kiss. They were totally lost in their heat of lust and love.

"Ewwwwww!"

"Mom! Dad!"

The choruses of their children's voices startled them. They turned around and saw their three children were staring at them with disgust.

"Hey, it's our house! We can do whatever we want" Dwight said.

"I'm too young to be seeing this kind of stuff!" Stevie said.

"I'm not going to apologize for showering my wife with love. Deal with it. Besides, maybe you should be exposed to how you were conceived" Dwight said.

"Oh, are we getting a baby? Mommy, you're giving me a little sister?" Stacy asked excitedly. Mary shot Dwight a pointed look as she climbed down from his lap and when to get her little girl.

"No, sweetheart. No baby. Mommy and daddy were just showing our love to each other. Now, who wants some ice cream?"

"Me!" Stevie and Stacy yelled as they followed their mother to the kitchen – leaving Dwight and Sam alone.

"And I thought you've scarred me enough with your talk" Sam mumbled as he followed his siblings to the kitchen.

* * *

Sam had planned a perfect date for Mercedes. Because of their agreement to keep their relationship a secret, he had to rule out all the restaurants or any open places. After so much thinking, he had decided to bring Mercedes to the lake. He had asked his mother to help him cooking some simple dishes for the date. He was buzzing with excitement as he prepared everything. After he had finished prepare the food, Sam went to shower and changed his clothes. He styled his hair and gave himself and appearance a once over. Satisfied with his looks, he went downstairs and took the picnic basket and everything that he needed.

"What?" he asked when he saw his family was looking at him with dopey smiles.

"Nothing. We're just excited for your first date" Dwight said. Mary smiled widely as she touched Sam's cheeks. Her thumbs brushed his cheeks.

"My baby is already growing up – going for his first date!" she said, almost choking up. Sam sighed as he brought his hands to rest on her shoulders.

"Mom, it's not a big deal. It's not like I'm going to get married tonight" he said, chuckling as he hugged her.

"Well, go on! Don't let Mercedes waits for you. Besides, Devon hates those who are not punctual" Dwight said, urging Sam to go.

"Okay, I'm going! I'll just need to put everything in the car. I'll see you guys later!" he said as he took the picnic basket and walked to the front door.

* * *

A sudden nervousness came when Sam was standing in front of the door. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he calmed himself down. He pressed the bell and knocked on the door. A moment later, the door was opened and he was greeted by Devon Jones' stern face.

"Good evening, sir" he said – trying to appear calm.

"Good evening Mr. Evans. I believe you are here for my daughter?"

"Y-yes, sir"

"May I know why did you ask her out instead of other girls? I was told that you are quite popular in the school"

Sam stared at Devon's eyes. He took another deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I didn't ask other girls out because I have no interest in them. The heart wants what it wants and my heart had set on Mercedes ever since years ago. I only have my eyes on her and I am certain that it will always be that way. She's the one for me, sir and nobody else can fill her place in my heart"

"Devon Jones! Why didn't you invite Sam into the house?" Janine said as she pushed Devon aside and came out to greet Sam. She invited him into the house and told him to wait in the living room. As soon as his wife was gone, Devon sat on the couch across of Sam and stared at the young boy. Sam was nervous but he knew that he needed to get Dr. Jones' blessing if he wanted his relationship with Mercedes to last long.

"Mr. Jones, you're like a father to me. I've known you since I was born and I respect you. I know that I should ask for your permission first before I start dating Mercedes and I apologized for not doing so" Sam said. "I know how important she was to you and I promise you that I will take care of her and protect her as you did to her all these years. I hope you will give your blessing for me to date your daughter, sir"

"Take a good care of her and remember this, Sam. You break her heart and I'll take out your teeth with my bare hand. My baby girl is not a plaything. She deserves the best"

"Sam?"

Sam was about to reply to Dr. Jones when he heard Mercedes' voice. He turned around and was mesmerized with her beauty. Mercedes wore a knee length dress with a black jean jacket. She had put a light make up on her face. Janine, who saw the way Sam looked at her daughter, smiled widely as she went to stand next to Devon. Sam slowly walked toward Mercedes and handed the flower in his hand to her.

"You look stunningly beautiful, Mimi" he said. Mercedes blushed as she thanked her.

"You look handsome too" she said. He was wearing a dark blue Henley shirt with a black coat. Seeing the sweet scene in front of him, Devon cleared his throat.

"Be back by your curfew, Cedes. Even a second late, I won't let you take her out anymore, Sam" he said.

"Yes, sir! I'll bring her back exactly on time" Sam replied. They bade goodbye to her parents. Devon and Janine closed the door and as they turned around, they were greeted by the Evans. Dwight smiled widely as he noticed the looks on Devon's face.

"I'm guessing my boy passed all the tests?" Dwight asked. Devon groaned.

"A sweet talker, that one! Just like you! Like father, like son. I'm sure that he used his sweet talks to lure my girl into his hands" he grumbled. Dwight laughed.

"Hush, you! Sammy is a sweet and kind boy. There's no one better than him to date our Cedes" Janine said.

* * *

Sam parked his car and then he went to open the door for Mercedes. He took the picnic basket and led her to where he had laid the blanket. Sam had come earlier to set the place up and decorated it a bit.

"Sam, this is lovely" Mercedes said as she sat on the blanket. Sam smiled. He went and sat next to her.

"I'm glad that you like it. I know, picnic at the lake during the night is something that people rarely do but it's where we can be together without other people knowing about it" he said, as he opened a sparkling cider and poured it into their glasses. He gave one of the glasses to Mercedes. She looked at the dishes that Sam had in the basket and began helping him taking out everything. After they had arranged everything on the blanket, Sam took out two candles and lighted them up as he put them on the blanket too. Smiling, he reached for his glass and looked at her.

"Mimi, I am very happy to be here with you tonight. Thank you so much for agreeing to be with me" he said as he leaned and kissed her cheek. Mercedes smiled bashfully as she looked at him.

"Well, I am happy to be here with you too. Thank you for preparing everything tonight"

They clanked their glasses together and drank the cider. Sam refilled their drinks and scooped some of the chicken casserole into a plate and put it between them.

"Why is there only one plate?" Mercedes asked, confused.

"So that we can eat together. If I brought more than one plate, I cannot share the food with you. Besides, it's romantic and haven't you heard that sharing is caring?" Sam explained with a cheeky smile. Mercedes rolled her eyes but she opened her mouth when Sam brought the spoon filled with the casserole to her.

"Wow, this is delicious! Did you cook this by yourselves?"

"Got the recipe from mom and did everything by myself!" Sam said proudly; happy that she liked the food. They spent the whole time together, eating and reconnecting with each other – exchanging storied about each other. Midway through the conversation, Sam had pulled Mercedes into his arms and she rested her head on his chest. They were both stared at the full moon – admiring the view; lost in their feelings. The loud ringing from Sam's iPhone startled them.

"It looks like we need to get you home, baby" Sam said sadly. Mercedes groaned. She was so comfortable being in his arms that she didn't feel like leaving.

"Come on, you need to be home by your curfew or your dad will kill me" Sam said playfully. Mercedes complied as she helped him tidied up everything. They went to the car and he opened the door for her and closed it once she was inside before he jogged to the driver's side.

* * *

Dwight, Mary and Janine watched as Devon pacing forth and back in front of them, while occasionally glancing at the clock.

"Will you stop? All these pacing make me dizzy!" Janine groaned. Devon rolled his eyes as he went and sat on the sofa. The flash of light shot through the window and the four adults stood up. Dwight looked at Devon and smirked.

"Two minutes before 10.30. I told you, Dev!" he said. Devon groaned as he took out 20 dollars note from his pocket and slipped it into Dwight's hand. They waited for Mercedes to come in but she never did. Losing his patient, Devon walked to the door and opened the door roughly.

* * *

"Good night, Sammy" Mercedes said, smiling widely.

"Good night, Mimi" Sam said and kissed her chastely. He was about to turn around to go back to his car when Mercedes pulled him toward her. Her lips landed on his and he returned the kiss immediately. Her arms were around his neck while his arms were around her waist. He was enjoying the feeling of her lips on him when the door was opened and Devon Jones' loud voice startled him.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Devon said as he went to separate the two teens apart.

"Daddy!" Mercedes yelled, in surprised.

"I let you date her, not swallow her with your mouth!" Devon said, furious. Sam was shocked but then came out of his trance when he noticed his parents at the door.

"Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Oh, Devon! They were just kissing! Stop overreacting! Just let them be!" Janine fussed as she pulled Devon inside the house – together with Dwight and Mary.

"Well, that was awkward" Sam said, chuckling as he look at Mercedes.

"I'm sorry. My dad can be crazy sometimes" she said.

"Don't worry. My dad is like that too" Sam leaned in for a kiss. His thumb brushed her cheek before he kissed her forehead. Mercedes opened the door and get inside. Once she was safely inside the house, Sam turned to walk to his car. A wide smile on his face.

* * *

I love the parents LOL

 


	10. Secrecy sucks

Sam only realized about the horrible consequence of hiding his and Mercedes' relationship when they got to the school on Monday morning. As usual, they carpool to the school - using Sam's car. The ride to school was pleasant. He had one hand on the steering wheel while his other hand was holding hers. It was when they were in the school's compound that the reality dawned into him. He leaned in for a kiss but Mercedes stopped him – afraid if someone had seen them.

"So, no kiss?" Sam asked, pouting.

"I'm afraid so. There are so many people around. We need to be careful, Sammy"

"That's mean I cannot walk you to class, carry your books or we cannot do everything that couples always do. Okay. I understand" he said with a bitter tone. Mercedes looked at him and then looked at her surrounding and in a flash, she leaned in and kissed Sam.

"Better?" she asked.

"Much better" Sam answered with a wide smile. She rolled her eyes at him.

* * *

"Something seems different" Kurt muttered as he observed Sam and Mercedes who were presenting their work to the whole class. Mike, who heard him, observed the pair and shrugged his shoulders.

"Really? I don't see anything different" he said. Kurt bit his lower lip. His hunch was telling him something and he trusted his instinct. However, he decided to not say anything yet. He listened as Mr. Hobbard praised Mercedes and Sam for their presentation and thanked them. Kurt's eyes followed his two friends as they walked back to their places.

"Is it just me or Kurt seems to be watching us like a stalker?" Sam asked when they were on their ride home.

* * *

"He was definitely stalking us today" Mercedes said, frowning. Her best friend was definitely acting weird. She even caught him staring at her the whole day, especially during Glee club.

"Don't you think he knows something?" Sam asked.

"I don't think so. I mean, we were acting like usual. Nothing suspicious had happened"

Sam nodded. He parked the car and then turned to look at his girlfriend. It was so overwhelming – to be able to call her his girlfriend.

"So, when will this whole secrecy charade end?"

Mercedes frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we cannot keep this as secret forever, right?" he said. " _Right?_ " he asked once again when Mercedes said nothing.

"Sam, it only had been a day!" she said. Sam sighed. He wiped his face as he stared at her.

"I can't hold out any longer. I want to walk you to the class. I want to walk through the school's hallway and holding your hand. Mimi, I want to kiss you so bad and it was a torture to not being able to do that. I saw Puck and Quinn smooching, Rachel and Finn make out and I want to do the same"

Mercedes bit her lower lip as she heard his rant. She understood his feeling. Truth was, she wanted the same thing too but she wasn't ready to share her relationship with other people yet.

"Well, if you stop rambling, we can start kissing each other" she said. Sam stared at her, agape.

"Well, Ms. Jones. If you want to kiss me, you should just say so" he said, smiling wickedly. Mercedes giggled as she reached for his shirt. She pulled him toward her.

"Shut up, you jerk" she playfully said as she leaned toward him – pressing their lips together.

* * *

It had been a week and Kurt was 100 percent sure that there was something going on between Sam and Mercedes. Sure, they acted the same but the lingering looks and the subtle inside jokes between them were definitely told him that there was more than what met the eyes. Without wasting any time, he called everyone in the Glee club except for Sam and Mercedes to the choir room. They were there an hour early.

"Okay, remember the bet about Sam and Mercedes that we had?" Kurt asked. Everybody nodded.

"I don't think we need that anymore" he said.

"What the hell? As far as I know, they aren't together. So, the bet is still on" Santana said.

"Well, it seems like they're together now" Mike said – earning some gasp and shocked from everybody else. All eyes were on him.

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked. Mike nodded.

"I saw Sam pulled Mercedes into the janitor closet yesterday. He won't do that if they aren't t together" he said.

"She won't let him do that either if there isn't something going on between them" Kurt added.

"Damn!" Santana muttered as she went to sit on one of the chairs.

"Hey, we can just change the bet! I mean, instead of betting on when they will be together, we can bet when will they tell people that they are actually a couple" Puck suggested.

"Puck's right! We can do that!" Finn added, followed with the other's agreement. Santana rose up from her seat. A wicked smile was on her face.

"Do you want to make things more interesting?" she asked, smirking. All eyes were on her. She smirked and explained her plan.

* * *

The Glee club was busy preparing for their regional competition which took place on the weekend. All of their focuses were on the competition. Santana and Mercedes led the Glee Club with their duet. They sang 'The Boy is Mine' by Brandy and Monica. The whole club had chosen Sam to be the prop – the boy that Santana and Mercedes were fighting about. Mike and Brittany – who acted as the choreographer, explained everything that they needed to do. Mercedes' eyes almost bulged out of her sockets when she looked at the way Brittany danced to Mike. The move was extremely provocative and full with sex appeal.

"Dude, are you sure that is the correct choreography?" Sam asked, uneasily. Mike nodded.

"Isn't it too provocative? We're not making porn" Mercedes said.

"Oh, come on, Cedes! That was nothing. We're singing about girls fighting over a boy. Of course, the sex appeal is needed. It's not like we're flat out humping on the stage. We need to show the audience our emotion. Make them know that we really want the boy. Thus, the dance" Santana said. Mercedes bit her lower lip, and reluctantly nodded.

"Okay, good! We start with you, Tana!" Brittany said. Santana smiled slyly as she sauntered toward Sam who was standing near the piano. Santana stood closer to Sam and smirked at him as her hand trailed his body slowly from the abdomen till his chest. She noticed the little glimpses that Sam shot toward Mercedes and she leaned closer to him – pressing her body to his.

"Oh, that's really good, Santana!" Mike said, praising Santana. Mercedes, who heard it, rolled her eyes. Truth was, she admitted that the dance was good but she didn't like the close proximity between Santana and Sam. She never felt the darkness called jealousy till the moment she saw Santana's hand trailed along Sam's body. At the moment, all she wanted to do was to pull Santana away from him and kissed him senseless –showing to everybody that Sam belong to her.

"Okay, Mercedes, your turn" Mike said. Mercedes took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she sauntered toward Sam. As she reached near him, she fixed a glare toward Santana and touched Sam's arm – pulling him toward her, not caring about Santana who was watching. Her hands touched his face and Sam could clearly see the jealousy in her eyes. She brought her body closer to him, hands trailing all over his body and Sam was definitely having an extremely hard time controlling himself. The feeling of her touches on his skin was like fire and he swallowed the moan that threatening to come out as Mercedes nuzzled his neck.

"Okay, that's it for today!" Mr. Schuester shouted. Mercedes quickly detached her body from Sam and cleared her throat as she went to take her things. Seeing that Mercedes had left, Sam immediately followed her.

"Whew! The tension was unbearable!" Rachel said, fanning herself.

"I honestly thought she would pull Santana's hair for messing with Sam" Quinn added, chuckling.

"You were right, Santana. This is more fun than just betting when they will come out" Tina said.

"Stage one; succeed!" Santana said, smiling menacingly.

* * *

Mercedes was fuming with anger and jealousy. As soon as she left the choir room, she headed to the parking lot and got into her car. Few seconds later, Sam came inside the car and stared at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"No! I am not okay! How – how can she touch you like that?! I know that she's a lesbian, but still, I want to rip her into pieces when I saw the way she touched you! Ugh!" she said, frustratingly as she hit the car steering. Sam smiled as he tried his hardest to hide his laughter when he saw the way she acted. He took her hand – the one that she hit the steering with and caressed it lovingly before he kissed it.

"Baby, it was dancing and acting. I don't have any feeling for Santana – not even an ounce. But  _you_  – you were phenomenal. It was so hard to keep my control when you touched me. Every single touch was like fire. All I wanna do was holding you and kiss you senseless. You have nothing to worry about"

A small smile formed on Mercedes' face as she heard what Sam was saying. It was one of the traits that she loved about him. Sam always knew the right thing to say and it would always make her smiled.

"You a sweet talker, Evans!" she said as she playfully hit his chest. Sam scrunched his nose at her.

"Well, you do love my sweet talking. So, how about I kiss you right now?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows. Mercedes chuckled and leaned toward him to kiss him.

"How's that?" she asked once they broke their kiss.

"Like a freaking inferno" Sam said before going for another kiss.

* * *

Sectional came upon and the New Direction was having a last minute practice. Mercedes was annoyed when Santana kept on insisting on checking some steps with Sam.

"Cedes, are you okay? Did something happen?" Tina asked. Mercedes looked at her friends.

"No, nothing happen. Why did you ask?"

"Well, you seem to in your piss off mode and everybody seems to sense some tension from you. I was wondering if you're mad at someone or well – anything happen to piss you off"

Mercedes smiled at Tina and shook her head.

"No, nothing happen and nobody pissed me off" she said.  _Well, maybe Santana and her flirty ass_ , she added mentally. Their name was announced and they quickly gathered around for the circle and Mr. Schue said the encouraging words and they immediately lined up afterwards. Sam pulled Mercedes aside as everybody was busy going to the backstage.

"Break a leg. We're going to win this. I am definitely waiting for the reward kiss once they hand the trophy to us later" he said as he kissed both of her cheek. He smacked her ass before he went to join Mike and Puck. Mercedes chuckled and shook her head at him as she went to stand next to Santana.

_[Spoken]_

_S: Excuse me, can I please talk to you for a minute_

_M: Uh huh, sure, you know you look kinda familiar_

_S: Yeah, you do too but, hmm_

_I just wanted to know do you know_

_somebody named_

_you know his name_

_M: Oh, yeah definitely, I know his name_

_S: I just wanted to let you know, he's mine_

_M: Uh,no, no he's mine_

_[Santana]_

_You need to give it up_

_Had about enough_

_It's not hard to see_

_The boy is mine_

_[Mercedes]_

_I'm sorry that you_

_Seem to be confused_

_He belongs to me_

_The boy is mine_

_[Santana]_

_I think it's time we got this straight_

_Let's sit and talk, face to face_

_There is no way you could mistake him, for your man_

_Are you insane_

_[Mercedes]_

_See I know that you may be_

_Just a bit jealous of me_

_Cause you're blind if you can't see_

_That his love is all in me_

_[Santana]_

_See I tried to hesitate_

_I didn't want to say, what he told me_

_He said, without me_

_He couldn't make it through the day_

_Ain't that a shame_

_And maybe you misunderstood_

_Cause I can't see how he could_

_Wanna take his time and that's all good_

_All of my love was all it took_

_[Mercedes]_

_You need to give it up_

_Had about enough_

_It's not hard to see_

_The boy is mine_

_I'm sorry that you_

_Seem to be confused (confused)_

_He belongs to me_

_The boy is mine_

_[Santana]_

_Must you do the things you do_

_Keep on acting like a fool_

_You need to know, it's me not you_

_And if you didn't know it, girl it's true_

_[Mercedes]_

_I think that you should realize_

_And try to understand, why_

_He is a part of my life_

_I know it's killing you inside_

_You can say what you wanna say_

_What we have, you can't take_

_From the truth, you can't escape_

_I can tell the real, from the fake_

_[Santana]_

_When will you get the picture_

_You're the past, I'm the future_

_Get away, it's my time to shine_

_If you didn't know, the boy is mine_

_[Mercedes]_

_You need to give it up_

_Had about enough (enough)_

_It's not hard to see (to see)_

_The boy is mine (the boy is mine)_

_I'm sorry that you (sorry that you)_

_Seem to be confused (seem to be confused)_

_He belongs to me (he belongs to me)_

_The boy is mine (the boy is mine)_

_[Santana]_

_You need to give it up (ooh)_

_Had about enough (had about enough)_

_It's not hard to see (hes mine hes mine hes mine hes mine)_

_The boy is mine_

_[Both]_

_I'm sorry that you (I'm so sorry)_

_Seem to be confused (you seem to be confused)_

_He belongs to me (he belongs to me)_

_The boy is mine_

_[Mercedes]_

_You can't destroy this love I've found_

_Your silly games, I won't allow_

_The boy is mine, without a doubt_

_You might as well throw in the towel_

_[Santana]_

_What makes you think that he wants you_

_When I'm the one that brought him to_

_This special place that's in my heart_

_Cause he was my love, right from the start_

_[Both]_

_You need to give it up_

_Had about enough_

_It's not hard to see_

_The boy is mine oohh_

_I'm sorry that you (I'm sorry that you)_

_Seem to be confused_

_He belongs to me_

_The boy is mine_

_You need to give it up_

_Had about enough_

_It's not hard to see_

_The boy is mine_

_I'm sorry that you_

_Seem to be confused_

_He belongs to me_

_The boy is mine_

_You need to give it up_

_Had about enough_

_It's not hard to see_

_The boy is mine_

_I'm sorry that you_

_Seem to be confused_

_He belongs to me_

_The boy is mine_

_I'm sorry that you_

_Seem to be confused_

_He belongs to me_

_The boy is mine_

* * *

"The winner is New Direction from McKinley High School!"

As soon as their name was announced, Mercedes' eyes immediately searched for Sam. Once she saw him jumping in joy with Mike, she walked toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck – hugging him tight. She didn't care about the trophy that was currently secured on Artie's lap. All she knew was that she wanted to celebrate their winning with Sam. Quinn and Mike who noticed the two of them hugging just exchanged glances and smiles. They left Sam and Mercedes and went to join the others who were gathering around Artie as they lifted the trophy.

"I told you that I'm going to get my kiss!" Sam said, wiggling his eyebrows as he smiled lopsidedly at her.

"Not now! They're going to catch us!" she said and Sam pouted. Seeing the pout on his face, Mercedes immediately looked around and noticed that everyone was busy celebrating their success. She quickly kissed his lips and pulled away before Sam managed to deepen the kiss.

"Mimi~" he whined.

"I'll make it up to you later" she immediately said. Sam narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.

"Promise" she said.

"Fine" Sam relented. They detached themselves from each other and went to join their friends as all of them retreated back to their waiting room.

 


	11. Us boys need to stick together

After bidding goodbye to their friends, Mercedes and Sam went to meet their families who were eagerly waiting for them.

"Here come our winners!" Dwight, who was recording everyone with his camera cheered when he saw Sam and Mercedes. He kept on recording them as they went to hug their families in a group hug.

"Congratulations, guys! We are so proud of you!" Janine said with a wide smile.

"All of you were incredible on the stage! Mercedes, your voice is really amazing!" praised Mary with a smile.

"Baby girl, you were magnificent! I knew that New Direction would win as soon as you and Santana opened your mouth and started singing" Devon said. Mercedes smiled shyly when the adults kept on praising her while Sam was beamed with pride as he listened to all the compliments that the adults were saying. His Mimi was definitely the most amazing singer that he ever heard.

"Cedes, you are definitely my favorite singer now" Stacie said, beaming at her as Stevie nodded along – agreeing with his sister.

"Aww, how about me, Stace? I thought I am your favorite?" Sam asked, pouting.

"Well, that was before I heard Cedes sings. Now that I listened to her, she's my favorite. But, don't worry, Sammy. You're still my favorite guitar player!" she explained, grinning as she went to hug her big brother. The adults chuckled at Stacie's remark.

"Well, I am starving! How about we go for dinner and celebrate their winning with a great food?" Devon asked.

"I'm up for that! There's a good steak place nearby. We could just go there!" Dwight suggested. All of them started to walk toward the exit. Mercedes pulled Sam's arm, making him stopped in his track, when she noticed that there was quite a distance between them and their families.

"Mom and dad are going to Columbus for a dentist conference tonight. Remember when I told you that I'll make up to you? Sneak out to my room tonight – when you heard my parents leave" she said and kept on walking while Sam was standing there, shocked. He came out of his frozen state and began to jog to catch up with Mercedes and their families. A wide grin plastered on his face.

* * *

"Cedes, you will be staying with the Evanses the whole time we are in Columbus" Devon said when they were having their dinner. Mercedes, who was cutting her steak, stopped doing so and looked at her father.

"Daddy, I can take care of myself. Besides, this is not the first time I will be alone in the house!" she said. Mercedes tried to plead to his father, so that she could stay at the house alone but all of them fell on deaf ears. She glanced at Sam and he gave her a reassurance smile – silently conveying that he was okay with the sudden turn of event. Dwight and Janine who noticed the silence conversation between their children exchanged a look and chuckled subtly.

Sam was restless. Mercedes was staying under the same roof as him. They had bid goodbye to Janine and Devon and Mercedes was now staying in the guest room – which happened to be next to his. Sam wanted to go and checked on her but he could hear Stacie's voice coming from Mercedes' room. Therefore, he decided to wait until his baby sister found her way back to her own room.

"Good night, Cedes"

* * *

Sam grinned when he heard Stacie's voice. He immediately hopped out of his bed and headed to the door. Sam stopped in his track when he reached the hallway – bumping into his parents who just wished Stacie and Stevie good night.

"D – dad! Mom!" he said, rather too enthusiastically – making his parents raised their eyebrows skeptically.

"Where are you going?" Mary asked, curiously.

"Downstairs! I'm thirsty!" he answered rather quickly and turned toward the stairs – heading downstairs, to the kitchen. Mary and Dwight looked at each other, smirking.

"Your son is the worse liar that I've ever met!" Mary said. Dwight frowned.

"My son? Are you sure you have nothing to do with the worse liar's trait? If I remember correctly, you were there too when Sam was created" he playfully asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Mary rolled her eyes and playfully smacked Dwight's arm.

"Shut up, Dwight!" she chuckled before clearing her throat. "We have more important matter here.  _Your_  son is trying to sneak into the guest room where his girlfriend currently staying. What should we do?"

"How come he'll be  _MY_  son only whenever he's doing something bad and naughty?" Dwight whined but the warning glare from Mary made him shut up and be serious. He let out a sigh. "Honestly, honey. I don't really mind. I mean, we used to be teenager once and I know Sam. The fact that their relationship is a secret is killing him and if I am right, he is in a desperate mode – needing some loving from Cedes. Unfortunately, I also know my best friend very well and if he knows that Sam and Cedes are doing some hanky-panky, he would freak out and my son might end up seriously injured. But -,"

"But?" Mary asked, confused. Dwight smiled mischievously.

"But – Devon is not here and I am 100 percent sure that those lovebirds aren't going to have sex tonight. They might have some intense make out session though and Devon will know nothing" he explained, shrugging his shoulders. Mary looked at her husband.

"I don't know, I am still worry. They might carry away though" she said.

"Don't worry" Dwight said and he went inside Sam's room. A moment later, he came back and walked straight to the guest room where Mercedes was staying. He pasted something on the door and went to get his wife back. Mary shook her head at her husband and they walked toward their room.

* * *

Sam waited until he was sure that his parents had gone inside their room before he climbed the stairs. He went straight toward the guest room. When he was about to turn the door knob, he noticed the small note that was pasted on the door.

_Make out sessions only! Do not get carry away! Your brother and sister are sleeping next door. Btw, if you're ready to stop being a virgin, remember to use the gifts that I gave to you._

_Dad._

Sam's face turned into a dark shade of crimson when he read the note. He snatched it and crumpled it before tossing it onto the floor, grunting at his father's bluntness and his needs to embarrass him at every turn. He was about to knock on the door when it was suddenly opened.

"I thought I heard some noise" Mercedes said, smiling. Sam's attention was focus on his girlfriend – standing in front of him looking cute and adorable in her pajama and bunny slippers.

"You still have a soft spot for bunny slippers, Mimi" he teased. He remembered that little Mercedes really loved her bunny slippers and she would never have a sleepover without carrying her slippers with her. Mercedes smiled sheepishly at him and shrugged her shoulders. She left the door opened and walked toward the bed without saying anything. Sam took her gesture as an invitation. He stepped into the room and closed the door. Sam walked toward Mercedes and pulled her into his arms. His hand supported her face and he lowered his face till their noses touched. His lips caught hers into a tender yet sensual kiss.

"I wanted to do that ever since you finished your song" he said once their broke their kiss. His thumbs caressed her cheeks. Mercedes wrapped her arms around Sam's neck and smiled.

"Well, you have all night to kiss me senselessly till I forget my own name. Besides, I did promise that I'll make it up to all the kisses that I've been denying, right?"

Sam smiled lopsidedly. "Oh, I do intend to collect all the kisses, darling. Fret not" he said as he kissed her again. His hand trailed down to her ass, squeezing it and she let out a moan. Sam slowly guided Mercedes to the back and they ended up fell down onto the bed. Sam straddled Mercedes – his hands were touching and caressing her body. She was moaning and grunting and it was definitely had an effect on Sam. Both of them were so lost in each other and they only stopped when they were out of breath.

"We really need to stop" Sam said, breathlessly. He was trying his hardest to cover his erection through his basketball shorts – all the time praying that Mercedes hadn't noticed it. It was so hard to control himself with her. "I should go back to my room. God knows what will happen to me if my parents catch me in here" he said, smiling lopsidedly at his girlfriend. She looked like she was thoroughly kissed and Sam was extremely proud of himself. Mercedes nodded. Sam pulled her out of the bed and hugged her before he kissed her one last time.

"Good night, darling. Sweet dream" he said, kissing her cheek.

"Good night, Sammy" Mercedes said. Sam watched until she was settled on the bed before he left.

* * *

The next morning, Sam woke up bright and early. He quickly done his morning routine and then dashed to the Mercedes' room. However, much to his dismay, the room was empty. The bed was made. He was starting to panic but then he saw Mercedes' bunny slippers next to the bed and smiled. He quickly ran downstairs. Sam's smile was wider when he heard a soft humming voice coming from the kitchen. He fastened his steps toward it and grinned when he saw Mercedes. She was making pancakes. Slowly, Sam walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist before planting a kiss on her shoulder.

"Good morning, baby" Mercedes said, smiling as she flipped the pancake. "I hope you like pancake" she continued. Sam smiled.

"I do. But I like something else too" he said teasingly. Mercedes rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. She knew what he was trying to imply. She turned around in his arms and looped her arms around his neck. Slowly, she brought her lips to meet his.

"Ewwwww!" The chorus of 'ewww' happened at the same time Sam's lips landed on Mercedes'. Sam groaned when he heard his siblings' voices. He ignored them and kept on kissing Mercedes, despite her protest.

"Woah! I definitely don't need to watch a kissing show too early in the morning!" Dwight said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Sammy, control your hormone, please. Your brother and sister are watching" Mary said. Mercedes was definitely ashamed with the sudden turn of event. She struggled to release herself from Sam's grip and once succeeded, she went back to finish making the pancakes – trying as much as she could to not looking at Sam's parents.

"Way to embarrass me in front of my girl, mom, dad!" Sam retorted as he went and help to set the table.

"Hey, it's not our fault that you couldn't find the right timing to smother Cedes" Dwight retorted back. Sam's cheeks turned red as he heard his father's words. Mary subtly smacked Dwight's arm.

"The pancakes are ready! Let's dig in!" Mercedes said a little too enthusiastic. Mary chuckled at her.

"Honey, ignore these two fools. They are always like this" she said as she took two pancakes and put them on her plate. Mercedes smiled at Mary. The smile turned into a chuckle when she heard Stevie and Stacie scream of joy when she gave them their special chocolate chip pancakes with raisin. She sat next to Sam and fixed her own plate with pancake and syrup. Sam looked at her, flashing his cute lopsided smile and entangled their hands together.

* * *

Mike and Kurt looked at each other – eyebrows raised as they saw Sam and Mercedes walked into the school, chatting happily. They watched as the couple separated in the middle of the hallway – heading to their respective lockers. Mike reached for his iPhone and typed a quick text to Santana. The two boys were lurking around the hallway, observing Sam and Mercedes.

"They will kill us once they find out about this" Kurt muttered. Mike chuckled.

"But they did hide their relationship from us – their supposed to be best friends. Besides, it's fun!" he countered. Kurt nodded apprehensively. A moment later, two cheerios walked pass them and went straight to Sam who was taking his book out of his locker. Each of them stood next to his right and his left.

"Hey, Sammy boy" they said as their hands touched his strong arms. Sam, who was startled with the sudden scenario quickly closed his locker and stepped away from them. His eyes were frantically searching for any sign of Mercedes.

* * *

Mercedes was just finished taking her books and closed her locker when Santana and Tina greeted her.

"Woah, Guppy Lips is being targeted by the wonder twins!" Santana said, motioning toward Sam who was being cornered by the twins Cheerios.

"Why did you sound surprise, Santana? Sam is hot! It won't be weird if some girls flirt with him" Tina added while glancing at Mercedes who was gripping her book so hard that her knuckles almost turned white. Tina and Santana were trying their hardest to keep their faces straight.

"I have to go" Mercedes said as she marched toward Sam without looking back.

"Hey, Sam! I need to discuss something with you!" she said and pulled Sam away from the Cheerios.

"God, she is so transparent!" Santana muttered, shaking her head.

"They didn't even realize that they suck in keeping secret. Hell, they didn't even realize that almost everybody knows that there's something going on between them" Tina added.

"Whatever. My bet is on this Thursday! I still have around 3 days to make them coming clean about their relationship!" Santana smirked. Her mind had already working on a new plan. From what she had witnessed, Mercedes Jones definitely had the possessive trait when it came to her boyfriend and Santana would utilize it for her own benefit.

* * *

"Looking at the way everything is going, I am pretty sure that Santana would win the bet" Puck said. He had called the Glee boys, minus Sam for an impromptu meeting. The other nodded their head – agreeing with Puck.

"Puck's right, guys! We need to step up our game!" Finn added, enthusiastically.

"Look, all of our bets are near each other – with one of two days difference. What I am trying to say is, why don't we work together and no matter who wins the bet, we share it?" Puck suggested. The other boys looked at each other – contemplating the suggestion. Kurt was the one who said something.

"I'm in. I don't really want to win the bet. I'm just piss off because they decided to hide their relationship from me too!" he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm in too. Just for the sake of watching them squirming and failingly hiding their relationship" Artie said.

"Me too!" Mike added. Puck smiled when all of them had voiced out their agreement.

"Great! So, what should we do?" Finn asked, confused. Mike looked at them and gave them a feral smile.

"Santana used Mercedes' weakness – which are her possessiveness and jealousy" he said. "But she forgot that Mercedes Jones is determined and once she decided on something, nothing can change her mind. I figured out that the whole secret relationship was Mercedes' idea" Mike continued.

"What are you trying to say, is?" Kurt asked. Mike smirked.

"What I am trying to say is – Santana forgot about Sam. Yes, Mercedes is possessive but Sam is more possessive than her. His jealousy is uglier that hers. Instead of making Mercedes' jealous, we should do something to make him jealous" he explained.

"Ah, you're right, Mike! I've seen his jealousy and his possessiveness. I must say that this plan could work! So, we need to make someone to pursue the Diva!" Kurt said, eyes staring at Puck.

"I can't do that! Quinn would kill me if she sees me flirting with another girl!" Puck said.

"Well, Mike and Artie are the only single men among us, who are not gay!" Finn said.

"Mike is out of the question since he is Sam's best friend and he knew about Sam's feeling toward Mercedes. So, it's up to you, Arthur!" Kurt said. "Oh, be prepared to defend yourself. Sam might beat you for trying to steal his girl" he continued. Artie looked at Kurt like he had just sprouting nonsense.

"Well, it settled, then. Good luck in wooing Diva Jones, dude!" Mike said, patting Artie's shoulder.

"Hey, don't I get a say on this?" Artie asked when he noticed that the boys were starting to disperse. They all turned to look at him.

"No" they said in unison. Artie sighed.


	12. Jealousy

Artie Abrams was charming. That was a fact that Sam admitted and had known ever since he first met the boy. Despite his nerdy appearance, Artie was a smooth talker. Currently, he was a first-hand witness to the full Abrams' charm. He gritted his teeth as he watched Artie talked and used his charm on his girlfriend – his  _secret_  girlfriend! The way Mercedes was giggling and laughing as they talk really made Sam bit his lower lips – trying his hardest to suppress the green eyes monster that was threatening to burst out. Calming himself, Sam made his way toward Artie and Mercedes. He plastered his best fake smile as he approached them.

"Hey, guys! What's so funny?" he said as he slid in between Artie and Mercedes. His right arm subtly went behind Mercedes, resting on her waist.

"Hey, dude! I'm just telling Mercedes about how bangin' she looks today" Artie said. He tried his best to hide his nervousness. He knew that Sam was jealous. He could detect it, despite the fact that Sam was concealing it behind his friendly smile.

"Hush, Artie! Stop flattering me. Just tell me what do you want me to do? Did you need my help with the History project?" Mercedes asked. Sam concluded that he didn't like – no scratched that. He  _hated_  the way Mercedes giggled when Artie praised her. He was the only one who could –  _should_  make her giggle and complement her. Nobody else could do that.

"Damn! You figured out my motive already?" Artie said, chuckling. He leaned closer to Mercedes, ignoring Sam while praying that Sam won't knock him out of his wheelchair. "Well, beautiful, how about we –  _you and I_  – go out for coffee? I know this great little café that serve an amazing coffee –  _or_  tea, if you don't like coffee. What do you say, hmm?"

Mercedes glanced at Sam and she knew that he wasn't happy with Artie's invitation.

"Well, that's nice, Artie – but – urm – I have to decline. Sorry. I have something to take care of. Maybe next time?" she said.

"Aww! Next time. I'll hold on to that promise, beautiful" Artie said, winking at Mercedes as he rolled away. Mercedes looked at Sam and noticed that his face was red. He didn't look happy either. She was about to say something when Sam just walked away without a word.

"Sam!" Mercedes said but he didn't even look back. Letting out a sigh, Mercedes immediately went to run after him.

Mercedes let out a sigh of relieved when she noticed Sam's car was at the parking lot. She immediately went to it and opened the passenger's door. Getting herself inside the car, she turned to look at her boyfriend. He was pissed. It was all written in his expression and how tight his jaws were.

"Sam" she called but he didn't say anything. Noticing that she was safely sitting on the passenger seat, he began to drive. Their journey back home was full of silence – totally different from the usual. She didn't even get a kiss when she got into the car. Mercedes tried to initiate a conversation but nothing worked. Sam was giving her a silence treatment – a trait that she well known and despised with her heart. Mercedes hated being ignored and at the moment, she had enough of it.

"Okay, that's enough! Why are you being so unreasonable about it?!" she asked, frustrated. Sam drove to the side and stopped the car.

"Unreasonable? Are you blind?!" Sam asked. "He was asking you for a date right under my nose! Well, maybe you didn't even realize that I was there because you were totally swooning by his so called swag!"

"Sammy, he's a friend. Nothing more. If I didn't notice you, I would have accepted his invitation!"

Sam looked at her, surprised and then huffed. He restarted the car and drove them home. He dropped off Mercedes at her house and then drove back to his home without a word. Mercedes sighed as she watched his car disappeared into the Evans' porch.  _Well, today was officially the worst day ever,_  she concluded as she weakly walked into her house.

* * *

"Trouble in paradise~" Kurt sang as he distributed the coffees that he and Finn had bought on their way to school. The boys were meeting early in the morning at the school's auditorium.

"And how did you know?" Mike asked, sipping his coffee. Kurt grinned.

"I saw them at the parking lot just now and they're not talking. No big smiles or laughter either. In fact, Sam looked like someone had destroyed all of his anime collections and Cedes – well, she looked sad" he explained. He seemed to be thinking for a bit before he looked at Mike with a frown. "Am I bad friend because I feel slightly happy about their dispute?"

Mike shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe and it makes two of us. But then, it's not like we're going to break their relationship. We're just 'testing' it" he said.

"I like the way you think. It makes me feel less ' _evil'_ " Kurt said, smiling.

* * *

Janine watched her daughter who seemed to be lost in her thoughts. Sometimes, her little fingers would mindlessly press on the piano keys. It had been two days since she last seen the smile plastered on her sweet daughter's face. She took off her apron and went to the back door and walked to the Evans' back door. She saw Stacy and Stevie were playing at the backyard and waved at them while asking about their mother's whereabouts.

"Inside!" the twins yelled and after thanked them, Janine walked into the house. She frowned when she saw Dwight and Mary who seemed to be in a heated discussion.

"Go!" Mary said.

"No! I talked to him before! It's your turn!" Dwight retorted. Seeing that they didn't notice her, Janine cleared her throat. The couple turned toward her, surprised. Janine smiled.

"I'm guessing you have a brooding teenager in your house?" she asked.

"How do you know?" Dwight asked. Janine chuckled.

"Because I seem to have one in my house too" she said. Mary and Dwight sighed.

"Did you know what happen?" Mary asked. Janine shook her head.

"I was hoping that you know the reason, but judging from the argument, you are as clueless as me" Janine said.

"That is why I asked you to talk to him, Dwight!" Mary said. Dwight frowned.

"Why is it always me? I did the sex talk. It's your turn, now! Besides, I think it is better to let them handle this on their own. It will strengthened their relationship"

Mary pouted.

"Well, D might have a point, but I'm still curious though. What can threaten a secret relationship? Cedes told me that they're keeping their relationship for themselves at the moment. Nobody knows about it except us" Janine said.

"Jealousy" Mary said. Dwight and Janine looked at her.

"I don't know about Mercedes but I do know my son. I know that he doesn't really fond of the whole secrecy dating but he did it because he loves Mercedes. Besides, Sam inherited Dwight's possessiveness and jealousy streak"

"Oh, dear!" Janine said. Dwight frowned as he looked at the two women.

"What?" he asked, quite offended with Janine's reaction.

"Did you forget how ratchet you would get in college wherever you saw a guy talked to Mary?" Janine asked.

"Hey, those guys were trying to get into her pants! Of course I needed to stop them!" he retorted, defending himself. Mary and Janine rolled their eyes at Dwight's ridiculousness.

"Well, I guess I'll be the one to talk to Sam, then. If I let you, the boy might end up spray painting his name on Mercedes' forehead in order to claim her as his"

"I'll talk to Cedes. That girl got her dad's stubbornness. It might take months for her to call Sam"

* * *

As soon as she came home, Janine went to look for her daughter. She heard some music came through Mercedes' room and she immediately climbed the stairs to her room. The door was wide open and she could see Mercedes pacing in her room – holding her iPhone. She smiled as she stepped into her room, not forgetting to knock the door.

"Mom, you scared me!" Mercedes exclaimed as she jumped when her mother knocked the door.

"Hey, I did knock the door!" Janine said. She went and sat at the edge of Mercedes' bed. "So, are you going to tell me the reason behind all these pacing and gloom face?" she asked. Mercedes let out a sigh and stared at her mother. Noticing her daughter's hesitation, Janine laid down on the bed and got herself comfortable before patting the empty space next to her. "Come lie down next to me and spill, young lady"

Sighing, Mercedes climbed her bed and laid down next to her mother. As soon as she put her head on the pillow, the story was running out from her mouth.

"It pissed me off, mom! I am not his property! Besides, Artie is a friend! He was just making a big deal out of nothing!" Mercedes said out of frustration. "The Cheerios kept on throwing themselves on him but he didn't see me going berserk like he did! This is so unfair!"

Janine listened to her daughter's ranting and venting with a smile on her face.

"He really frustrates you, huh?" she asked, chuckling. Mercedes huffed.

"You have no idea!" she said, rolling her eyes. "We went to school together but he was ignoring me. He's been acting like some mute robots!"

"Honey, maybe you should talk to him. I agree with what you said earlier; that you're not something that he should put a claim on. But, you two are in a relationship and there's needed to be give and take between both of you. In a way, Sam had the right to be jealous. He might have reacted badly about it but he is a boy and boys can be stupid sometimes. Besides, knowing Artie and his smooth talk, I am sure I'll be pretty mad if I was in Sam's shoes"

Mercedes pouted. She knew that there were truths in what her mother had said. She stared at her iPhone. There were no texts or calls from Sam – not even a good night text.

"If it makes you so miserable, you should call him first – put you out of the glum" Janine said, encouraging her daughter.

* * *

"Baby girl, there's someone at the door for you!" Devon Jones' voice bloom through the house just as Mercedes about to dial Sam's number. The mother and daughter looked at each other and frowned. Mercedes got out of the bed and headed downstairs. She saw her father at the door – having and intense conversation with whoever it was on the other side of the door.

"Letting you see her doesn't mean that I'm happy with this relationship!" She heard her father said as she advanced toward the door and saw Sam standing there.

"I've got my eyes on you! Don't try any hanky-panky!" Devon said before leaving Sam and Mercedes at the door.

"Hey" Sam said once Devon was out of his sight. Mercedes hugged herself as she stood across him and bit her lower lip.

"Can – can we go somewhere and talk?" Sam asked.

"No! Stay there or no talk at all!" Devon shouted.

"Quiet, Devon!" They heard Janine said and a moment later, she came toward them and smiled at Sam. "Go wherever you like and make sure that you be back before her curfew" she said. Mercedes was about to protest but Sam quickly thanked Janine before she could say anything.

* * *

Sam had chosen the lake for their talk. The whole drive there was filled with an awkward silence. Honestly, Mercedes was sort of still mad at him and Sam knew that. He turned off the engine and went to open her door - waiting for her to get out of the car before leading them to their spot. For a moment, all they did was staring at the clear blue sky in silence.

"I'm sorry" Sam said, breaking the silence. Mercedes turned to look at home, surprised by the sudden utterance. He turned to look at her and reached for her hands. His thumbs caressed them as he stared into her doe-like eyes. "I was jealous. I hate seeing Artie being flirty with you and I – I let my possessiveness and jealousy took over my rational mind. I'm sorry for being such an idiot"

Mercedes pulled her hand from Sam's. For a moment, Sam was scared that she won't forgive him, but the warm touch of her palm on his cheek warmth his heart.

"Apology accepted. I – and I'm sorry too. I should've put a limit to Artie's flirt or just ignored it altogether. I should think about your feeling. I mean – I went through it when Santana was all up on you"

Sam smiled. His thumb was now caressing her cheek and he leaned down to kiss her.

"God, I miss kissing you. I was such an idiot for not apologizing earlier. Never again. We should never fight again" he said, resting his forehead on Mercedes' temple. Mercedes wrapped her arms around Sam's neck and smiled.

"Never again" she said, agreeing with him.

* * *

Mary and Janine were smiling widely when they saw Sam and Mercedes walked into the Evans' house, hand in hand. Devon rolled his eyes. He really had a hard time accepting the fact that his baby girl was now grown up and having her own boyfriend.

"Just accept it, Dev. She would end up as my daughter in law, someday. Better accept the fact sooner or later" Dwight said, chuckling at the look of horror on Devon's face.

"Let's not talk about marriage of something like that now" Devon said.

"I'm guessing all is well, now?" Mary asked the couple with a smile. Both of them were having identical smiles on their faces as they nodded.

 


	13. Exposure

Much to Puck and the rest of the guys' dismay, Sam and Mercedes seemed to be back to their old selves. The stolen glances, the wide grins on their faces, the way they kept on hovering around each other and especially the eyes' sex.

"Geez, Puck! I thought you said your plan is working! They're eye-sexing each other again and we still got nothing!" Mike grumbled.

"Well, the force was strong with that one, but worry not! I won't give up! We must not give up!" Puck said. He turned to look at Artie. "Dude, you must keep on approaching Hot Mama! I'm sure the green eye monster that resides inside Sammy boy will come out sooner or later!"

"W-what? Puck, come on, man! Sam might end up killing me if he sees me flirting with Mercedes again!"

"Don't be a coward, Artie! He won't kill you! Well, he might put some oil on your wheels and push you into the dumpster, but it won't hurt you!" Puck retorted. Artie sighed. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Okay, you know what? I am getting bored! I am tired of waiting for them to come out of their closet despite being a straight couple. So, I am done sitting here and listen to your idea. I'm going to take this matter and resolve it once and for all" he said and walked out of the choir room – leaving the guys dumbfounded.

* * *

After leaving choir room, Kurt went out to find Mr. Shuester. Noticing the teacher in his office, Kurt knocked on the door and greeted his teacher. Wills was surprised to see Kurt.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Kurt?"

Kurt smiled.

"Well, I have an idea for Glee club, Mr. Schue. It's not that your ideas are not interesting. It's just – I have an artist in mind that I would like to pay tribute to. I mean – we did Britney's tribute last year and the Lady Gaga's tribute and it's been awhile since we do something like that" Kurt explained. He really hoped that Schuester would accept his idea.

"Well, who do you have in mind?"

"Well, one of the greatest female artists in the whole wide world, Queen B herself! Beyonce!"

Mr. Schuester was quiet for a moment before he looked at Kurt and nodded. Kurt smiled widely.

"I think it is a great idea! Besides, Beyonce is one of the strongest feminist supporters and ever since we did the rock n roll's tribute last month, the girls were complaining about the lack of feminine feature. So, I'll agree to your idea, Kurt"

"So, let's do it like this!" Kurt said with a conspirational smirk on his face.

* * *

Sam and Mercedes sat at the back row in the choir room. They seemed to be lost in their own world as they played with their hands which had been kept hidden under the chair and the preying eyes. Mr. Schuester gingerly walked inside the choir room and immediately wrote something on the whiteboard.

"Beyonce!" Mercedes screamed excitedly. She let go of Sam's fingers and began clapping her hands jubilantly – together with the girls.

"Wow, you girls are really excited about this. So, I'm going to divide you guys into two groups. Listen to me carefully and get into your group. Okay, first group! Mercedes, Kurt, Puck, Mike, Artie, Santana and Finn! Second group! Sam, Finn, Quinn, Joe, Rachel, Sugar and Brittany! You guys have till this Friday to practice. The performance will take place on Friday!"

* * *

Sam pouted when Mercedes told him that she won't be riding with him after school because Kurt had turned into a general and had commanded everyone in their group to have impromptu meeting at the Hummel's house for their performance.

"Sorry, baby. I guess until the performance is done, I've stuck with Kurt every evening" she said. Sam sighed. His phone chimed and he looked at the new text that just came. A loud sigh came out of his mouth when he read the message.

"Apparently Berry and Kurt do share same mind. I've been summoned to after school discussion too. I don't understand why are they so hype up about this? It's not even a competition" Sam grumbled. Mercedes quickly pecked him on the lips and caressed his cheek.

"Once this is over, we're going to a date. I promise" Mercedes said. She saw Kurt from the distance. "Oh, Kurt is here. Gotta go. Bye, baby!" she said as she went to get Kurt.

* * *

One more days to the performance day and both groups had been practicing very hard. Kurt who practically appointed himself as the costume designer was excited. He couldn't wait to show Mercedes the outfit that he had designed and sewn for her.

"Tada!" Kurt said as he took out the dress. It was a black dress with a sheer part that showcased Mercedes' glorious breasts. "Come on! Try it!" he urged her. Mercedes took the dress and changed into it. Once done, she came out and stood still as Kurt walked around her, analyzing the dress on her body.

"So, we need to add some sexy spices on you. Therefore, I had taken the liberty to go and bought this for you. With the sheer part on your chest, your plain bra won't do. Therefore, I went ahead and got this for you" Kurt said and took out a bra that looked exactly like the one Beyonce wore in one of her videos. The bra did have the sexy appeal.

"How do you even know my size?" Mercedes asked, surprised. Kurt just shrugged his shoulders.

"We've been best friend since we were five, Cedes!" he said matter of fact. Kurt internally smirked as he observed his best friend. Mercedes did look sexy as hell in the dress. The sheer part totally gave appeal and a sultry hint on her. The short skirt was borderline appropriate with her ass and Kurt did add some frills to cover the lack of length of it.  _Sam would be brimming with feels when he sees this,_  Kurt thought internally, smirking.

* * *

Sam rolled his eyes for the millionth time when Rachel kept on complaining or more so whining about their choreography. Honestly, he really didn't want to be there – stuck in the Berry's basement, doing nothing except dancing and listened to Rachel Berry's mediocre voice. He rather spent his evening cuddled up with Mercedes on her bed or just lounging around in his living room.

"Sam, did you hear me?" Rachel asked, startling the blond. Sam sighed as he nodded despite the fact that his mind had wandered away – thinking about his gorgeous girlfriend.

"Okay, let's start all over again!" Rachel screeched. Sam groaned as he got into the position.

"So, are you ready for Glee?" Sam asked as he rested his back on the locker next to Mercedes'. Mercedes smiled and nodded as she opened her locker and put her book in it. She couldn't wait for Sam to see her in Kurt's dress.

"I have a surprise for you" she said, smiling shyly. Sam's eyes went wide. He stood straight and looked at her.

"Really? What is it?" he asked, excitedly. Mercedes giggled.

"Sammy, it won't be a surprised if I tell you about it now. Just wait till my perfor -,"

"Mercedes Jones!" Kurt's voice cut her words as the prissy young man appeared out of nowhere. "Why are you still here? We need to get you ready!" he said. He then turned and looked at Sam from head to toe.

"Why do I have a feeling like you two are always together? Is there something that I don't know about happened between you two?" Kurt asked, feigning ignorance.

"No! There's nothing happened!" Mercedes quickly said. Sam just shrugged his shoulders. Kurt observed them and then looked at Mercedes, excited. He clasped his hand together and smiled widely.

"Let's go and get you into the dress that will make all the guys' drop their jaw and will surely cause sex riot!" Kurt said, a bit too loud – making sure that Sam would hear it and pulled Mercedes away before Sam managed to say anything. Sam let out a heavy sigh as he watched Mercedes and Kurt disappeared among the crowd. His mind kept on thinking about Kurt's last sentence as he walked to the choir room.

* * *

Mr. Schue walked into the choir room excitedly as he announced that Kurt's team would start first. He then went and sat at the centre of the front row before he called for them. The music started and Sam waited with baited breath as he waited for them to come in. Sam's eyes bulge out when he saw Mercedes walked into the choir room. She was looking extremely sexy and her luscious body was so appealing. He could feel all the men were looking and admiring his girlfriend's body and Sam wasn't comfortable about it. He saw the way they were looking at her and he hated it. He also hated the fact that she was subtly teasing him – knowing too well the effect of the dress that she was wearing had on him.

**[Intro: Santana]**

_I've been drinking, I've been drinking_

_I get filthy when that liquor get into me_

_I've been thinking, I've been thinking_

_Why can't I keep my fingers off it, baby?_

_I want you, na na_

_Why can't I keep my fingers off it, baby?_

_I want you, na na_

**[Verse 1: Mercedes]**

_Cigars on ice, cigars on ice_

_Feeling like an animal with these cameras all in my grill_

_Flashing lights, flashing lights_

_You got me faded, faded, faded_

_Baby, I want you, na na_

_Can't keep your eyes off my fatty_

_Daddy, I want you, na na_

_Drunk in love, I want you_

The guys were divided into two, with Puck and Mike hovered over Mercedes and Artie and Finn with Santana. Puck and Mike put their hands on Mercedes' hip as they dance sensually. Sam was seething as he saw their hands on Mercedes. He hated the way Puck and Mike were touching her. He noticed the naughty glimpse on Puck's eyes as his hand rested Mercedes' ass.

**[Hook: Mercedes, Puck, Mike, Artie, Finn, Santana]**

_We woke up in the kitchen saying,_

_"How the hell did this shit happen?"_

_Oh baby, drunk in love we be all night_

_Last thing I remember is our beautiful bodies grinding up in the club_

_Drunk in love_

**[Bridge: Santana, Finn]**

_We be all night, love, love_

_We be all night, love, love_

**[Verse 2: Mercedes, Artie]**

_We be all night,_

_And everything alright_

_No complaints from my body, so fluorescent under these lights_

_Boy, I'm drinking,_

Sam held his chair as he watched Mercedes sang as she sat on Artie's lap for a moment before she was hovering over him. Her hand move sensually on his chest – rubbing it and Sam could clearly see that Artie was definitely enjoying it. Sam bit his lower lip – his heart was seething with jealousy.

_Park it in my lot 7-11_

_I'm rubbing on it, rub-rubbing, if you scared, call that reverend_

_Boy, I'm drinking, get my brain right_

_Armand de brignac, gangster wife_

_Louie sheets, he sweat it out like wash rags he wear it out_

_Boy, I'm drinking, I'm singing on the mic to my boy toys_

_Boy, I'm drinking, I'm singing on the mic til my voice hoarse_

_Then I fill the tub up halfway then ride it with my surfboard, surfboard, surfboard_

_Graining on that wood, graining, graining on that wood_

_I'm swerving on that, swerving, swerving on that big body_

_Been serving all this, swerve, surfing all in this good, good_

**[Verse 3: Artie]**

_(I'm nice right now)_

_Hold up_

_That D'USSÉ is the shit if I do say so myself_

_If I do say so myself, if I do say so myself_

_Hold up,_

_Stumbled all in the house time to back up all of that mouth_

_That you had all in the car, talking 'bout you the baddest bitch thus far_

_Talking 'bout you be repping that third, I wanna see all the shit that I heard_

_Know I sling Clint Eastwood, hope you can handle this curve_

_Foreplay in the foyer, fucked up my Warhol_

_Slip the panties right to the side_

_Ain't got the time to take draws off, on site_

_Catch a charge I might, beat the box up like Mike_

_In '97 I bite, I'm Ike, Turner, turn up_

Puck went and stood behind Mercedes. Sam could totally see that he was grinding her ass as they dance to Artie's singing. When he noticed that Puck's hands were going lower, Sam was seeing red. Out of impulse, he stood up and within seconds, he strode out toward Mercedes and Puck. He grabbed Puck's hand and pulled him away from Mercedes.

"Stop touching her!" Sam said. He wasn't yelling, but his cold voice sent shivers up Puck's spine. His eyes were the dark shade of green.

"What the hell?! We're in the middle of performing, Trouty!" Santana yelled, annoyed. Sam said nothing. He was quiet as he gave Puck his death stares.

"Yeah, what the hell, dude? This is not a competition! You don't need to disrupt our performance!" Finn added.

"I don't care about your performance!" Sam bellowed out. His eyes fixed on Puck. "He is touching her inappropriately!" he continued.

"Dude, I just follow the choreography. There's nothing wrong with that. Besides, Hot Mama said nothing about it. Why are you overreacting?" Puck said.

"Yeah, man! She's not your girl!" added Mike, tried to goad Sam. Sam turned to look at Mike and then his eyes fell back on Mercedes. He was trying to say something but ended up biting his lower lip. He released Puck's hand from his grip and walked to the door.

* * *

Noticing that Sam was about to leave, Mercedes rushed toward him and took his hand. She pulled him toward her and kissed him deeply. Their kiss broke with a loud smack and Sam was a bit in daze as he looked at Mercedes, confused. She gave him a smile before she turned to look at their friends.

"Sam has every right to get angry because he is my boyfriend!" Mercedes said.

"Mimi -," Sam said, dumbfounded and touched at her sudden announcement. A wide smile immediately appeared on his face as he went to embrace Mercedes and kissed her.

"Ha, pay up!" Puck exclaimed.

"You didn't even get the date right!" Tina shouted.

"Hey, I call it first! I even saw them sneaking into the janitor closet!" Mike exclaimed. Sam and Mercedes were lost as they listened to their friends bickering about money.

"So, I'm guessing we won't be able to finish the performances today. You guys settle the whole mess first. I'll see you tomorrow" Mr. Schuester said despite no one had been listening to him. He left the choir room amidst the chaos.

"Whoa, whoa! What the hell is going on here?" Sam asked, confused. Santana groaned as she looked at Sam and Mercedes.

"Well, chocolate swirls, let me tell you this! Everyone – and by everyone, I mean – every single person in this choir room knew about your secret rendezvous. You guys are suck at keeping your relationship a secret. So, we made a bet to know when you will expose yourself. Right now, we're deciding who win the bet!"

Sam and Mercedes rolled their eyes. They should have known that their friends knew about it. They looked at Kurt who was staring at them. He was the only one who didn't bother about the bet.

"Kurt -," Mercedes began but he gave her his patented bitch face.

"Lima Bean, now" he said, tone as cold as ice. Sam and Mercedes looked at each other as they followed Kurt. However, they didn't follow him directly to the parking lot. Apparently, Sam had coerced Mercedes into changing her dress into the casual clothes that she had worn before.

* * *

When Sam and Mercedes arrived at the Lima Bean, Kurt had already arrived. He had secured them a table and ordered Mercedes' favorite drink. They went to approach him and sat next to each other – across Kurt.

"So, when are you going to tell me about your relationship?" he asked. His voice was void of any emotion and Mercedes knew that Kurt was really angry. She bit her lower lip.

"I'm sorry" she said, reaching for his hand. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. We just – we wanted to keep it down low for a while – enjoying each other presence before exposing our relationship to other people"

"But I am your best friend! How could you keep this as a secret, Cedes! We never hide anything from each other! Honestly, I am hurt, Cedes!" Kurt said, pouting as he rested his back angrily on the back of the chair and brought his arms to his chest – crossing them.

"Kurt, we are sorry. We were lost in our own bubble and we forgot that there are people who are really matter to us - who would be happy for us and deserve to know about us" Sam added. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you are forgiven! Just because it was fun watching Sam lost himself in the jealousy as he watched our short performance!" he said. Then, he looked at the two of them with a stern expression. "If you hide anymore secret from me, I won't forgive you, Mercedes Jones!" he said. Mercedes grinned and nodded her head.

"This is the last time, I promise!" she said.

"So, did he pop your cherry, yet?" Kurt asked out of the blue – making Mercedes choked on her drink and Sam bit his own tongue. Kurt smirked.

"Apparently not, huh?" he said, chuckling as he watched his two friends blush.


	14. Father's daughter

Sam was over the moon. School was going great. Everyone had known about him and Mercedes. It meant that it was okay for him to hug and kiss her any time he wanted to. He was also having fun glaring at the boys who would stare at his girlfriend openly. Being out in the open was definitely exhilarating. He could walk Mercedes to her classes and kissed her before he rushed to his own classes. McKinley Titans was having a football game and Sam was definitely thrilled that their secret had come out before it. He had determined to lead the Titans to win and then kissed the hell out of Mercedes after that. Originally, he had planned on exposing their relationship to the whole school during that time. However, now that everyone had known about them, there was no need to do so.

* * *

Mercedes sighed. Ever since it was out that she and Sam were together, she could definitely feel the stink eyes that she was getting from the Cheerios. She really didn't want to care but the stink eyes were increased after Sam had kissed her out in the open after football practice. She and Kurt were having lunch together since Sam was busy with his football practice. It was the first time in seven years that the Titans had managed to get into the semi final and the whole school was excited. Kurt looked at Mercedes who seemed to be lost in her thoughts.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he put down his fork. Mercedes looked at him and shrugged.

"Nothing" she muttered. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Do I look like a fool? I know that something is bothering you. Come on, spill!" he said. Mercedes sighed. She looked at her best friend and told him everything. She told him about the stink eyes and all the stares that she noticed when she was with Sam.

"It's so suffocating! I feel like I am being judged!" she said. Kurt patted her hand comfortingly.

"Well, you  _are_  dating the quarterback.  _Besides_ , his popularity had gone up ever since he kept on leading The Titans to win the matches. Then, not to mention the fact that he looks like a real life Adonis! Of course, the Cheeri-hoes will be jealous of you! You snatched McKinley's Most Eligible Bachelor!"

"Wow, Kurt! That's really comforting" Mercedes said, side-eyeing him. Kurt chuckled.

"What I am trying to say is, there will always be people who are jealous of you. Just ignore it. All those haters are not worth any of your attention"

"I know. It just that, I feel like it was easier when nobody knows about us"

"Are you sure, Cedes? Because from my point of view, you were ready to rip Santana into pieces when she was flirting with Sam during Glee. I am sure you won't be able to stay calm if you see those bimbos flirt with your man and you cannot say anything because you guys are a secret. Now that you guys are out in the open, they know that Sam is off the market and you can totally claim that soft trouty mouth belongs to you!"

When Mercedes kept quiet, Kurt continued.

"Cedes, stop thinking about them! It is pointless! Look, Sam is definitely over the moon about it! He definitely didn't wait to send out warning to all the guys who keep on staring at your ass that you're his girl and definitely out of the market! You can do the same, you know! I am sure he won't oppose if you suggest that he gets a tattoo of your name on his body! That way, every time the bimbos try to make a move, they'll see the tattoo and remember that Sam is yours"

Mercedes rolled her eyes at Kurt's suggestion. She gave him a smile.

"You're right. Maybe I was just overthinking. They are definitely not worth of my worry!"

* * *

Mercedes knocked on the door to Sam's room. Sam smiled when he saw her. She walked into the room and wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him.

"I miss you. The practices are keeping you away from me!" she pouted. Sam chuckled and then kissed her again.

"I agree. I start to hate the practices too!" he said. Mercedes let her hands down of Sam's neck and take his right hand, pulling him toward the bed. They were sitting on his bed.

"I came to give you this" Mercedes said as she took out a small box from her pants' pocket. She opened the box and it revealed with a heart charm.

"I bought this when I went shopping with Kurt yesterday. It's a good luck charm. I can't be with you on the field but by having this charm, it sorts of my replacement. I will always be with you"

Sam took the charm and kissed it before he kissed Mercedes' temple.

"Thank you, baby. I will always keep it with me"

* * *

The Evans and the Joneses together with Kurt and Burt had gathered in the Evans' house so that they could go to the game together. Mercedes and Kurt had gone earlier to secure places for them. Stevie and Stacie were so excited to watch their brother that they couldn't even sit still for a moment. The teams were introduced and all of them cheered for Sam. Mercedes smiled when she saw Sam was holding something. She saw him looking for her and immediately waved at him. He smiled at her and kissed the thing that he was holding; which turned out to be the charm that Mercedes had given him before. She smiled and mouthed 'all the best' before throwing him flying kisses. Sam made a gesture that he caught the kiss and brought it to his heart. He put on his helmet and Mercedes smiled wider as she saw that he was seriously focused on the game that about to start.

"I have a good feeling that your Adonis will bring the team to the final" Kurt said as he handed Mercedes her drink. She took the drink and sipped it.

"I do hope that they win. Sam really wants it" she said. Kurt nodded. The whole school wanted the Titan to win. It was definitely a shock to most people that the Titans managed to get into semi-final. Usually, they would succumb to defeat after a few games.

"Don't worry. They have a good chance at winning. I heard Coach Beiste talked about it with Coach Tanaka this morning" Kurt said as they watched the game. They cheered for Sam every time he got the ball and danced every time the Titans scored. After a very intense game, Sam made a touchdown that confirmed the Titans to the final. Mercedes and Kurt screamed and danced with joy, together with the whole Titans' supporters.

"That's my son! MY SON!" Dwight screamed with joy while Mary tried to pull him down so that he could calm down.

"That quarterback is my daughter's boyfriend, y'all!" Devon screamed. Mercedes covered her face as she heard her father. Kurt and Burt laughed.

"I guess he finally accepted that you and Sam are dating, huh?" Kurt said, chuckling. Mercedes just rolled her eyes when she saw how happy Dwight and Devon were. Sam was being lifted by his team mates and she smiled at the sight.

* * *

Sam smiled as he saw that Mercedes was waiting for him. Without a word, she ran toward him and enveloped him in a hug and kissed him deeply.

"Congratulations, baby!" she said as she kissed him again. Sam tightened his hold on her waist and deepened their kiss. God, he really glad that they had come clean about their relationship. If not, he was extremely sure that Mercedes won't kiss him like she did at the moment.

"You know, I am happy that you led the Titans to the final but that doesn't mean you can swallow her!"

Devon's booming voice stopped the two lovers. Sam released Mercedes from his hands and both teens smiled sheepishly at their family.

"I - I'm gonna go and change. I'll meet you guys outside!" Sam immediately said and disappeared into the changing room. Janine smacked her husband's hand.

"You shouldn't say that! That poor boy was embarrassed and we haven't managed to congratulate him!" she said.

"Hey, it's not my fault! He's the one who keep on touching my daughter inappropriately!" retorted Devon.

"Daddy!" Mercedes said. Devon just shrugged his shoulders. Janine rolled her eyes at her husband. Mary, Dwight and Burt chuckled at the Jones.

"Oh, Dev! You're definitely the type who will cry when you walk Cedes to the altar!" Burt said.

"Burt, we do not talk about that until the time comes" Devon said. He turned and looked at Mercedes with serious eyes. "Baby girl, don't you dare thinking about marriage right now!" he said with a full warning tone. Mercedes pouted.

"I'm too young to think about it!" she said, huffing. Devon smiled.

"Good. Very good" he said in satisfaction. He seemed to be in a deep thinking before his eyes landed on Mercedes once again. "Have you two had sex -,"

"Okay, that's enough! Let's go outside!" Janine said as she pulled her husband away while Burt and the Evanses laughed. Mercedes was shocked and utterly embarrassed with her father's sudden question. At the same time, Sam stepped out from the changing room with fresh clothes. He looked at them in confusion.

"What are you laughing about? What did I miss? Where are your parents, Mimi?" he asked. Mercedes groaned.

"They're outside. Let's go. We're going to fill our stomach and celebrate your winning, Sammy!" Dwight said as he patted Sam's back with proud.

* * *

They went to Sam's favourite Italian restaurant for the celebration dinner. The three families ate and enjoyed their time together. Devon seemed to forget about the intense kiss that his daughter shared with Sam when they started talking about the game that just happened. He and Burt kept on praising Sam's skills and talent on the field.

"Is there any party to celebrate the winning?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, some of the football players are organizing it" Sam explained.

"So, aren't you joining them?"

"No, mom. I don't think I'm going to" Sam said. He turned to look at Mercedes. "But, if Mimi wants to go, I'll accompany her there" he continued. Mercedes just shrugged her shoulders. Truth was, she was a bit introvert. She loved mingling with her friends but party was definitely not her scene. Besides, she knew how those football players partied. It was going to be so loud and noisy and she definitely hated that.

"I don't think I want to go" she said.

"Well, how about you, Kurt?" Janine asked.

"I am definitely going! Santana will come and fetch me later" Kurt explained. A moment later, he got a text from Santana and excused himself after he bade goodbye to everyone.

"Well, we better get going. It is way past the twins' bedtime" Dwight said as he called their waiter and paid their meals. They walked outside and Sam called for Devon.

"Sir, do you mind if I spend some more time with Mercedes?" he asked. He was nervous but he controlled his expression, masking his nervousness. Devon looked at Sam and then Mercedes. He nodded, to everyone surprised.

"Make sure to bring her back before twelve o'clock" he said. Sam smiled widely. He and Mercedes bade goodbye to their families and Burt and headed to Sam's car.

"Well, didn't see that coming" Dwight teased. Devon shrugged.

"The kid deserves some alone time after his performance tonight" Devon said nonchalantly and walked to his car, leaving his friends and wife who were laughing at him.


	15. One at a time

Sam took Mercedes to their spot – at the lake. Devon's decision to let them spend their time together; honestly surprised them and Sam decided that being at the lake was a great idea. They stopped at 7-11 and bought some snack and drinks despite the fact that they were just having dinner with their family before. Once arrived, Sam parked the car and got out of the car. He opened the door for Mercedes and then took out the blanket that he kept at the back of his car. He laid down the blanket. Mercedes smiled as Sam sat on the blanket. Without wasting any time, she sat on his laps and straddled him – kissing him. The kiss was intense and full of passion. They only stopped when they were both out of breath.

"Gosh, I want to do that ever since my dad interrupted our kiss!" Mercedes said as she played with Sam's hair and stared at his kiss swollen lips. Sam chuckled.

"I am very glad that your dad gave us this alone time" he said as he kissed her button nose – making her giggled.

"Well, that's make the two of us!" Mercedes said as she pushed Sam to lie down and started to kiss him again. Sam groaned as he felt her soft lips on his neck. His hands went to her butt and squeezed it, making Mercedes squealed. A throaty laugh escaped her mouth when Sam started to tickle her and rolled them over so that he was on top of her.

"Mercedes Jones, you're going to be the death of me" he whispered as he stared into her brown eyes as he leaned down and caught her lips for a kiss.

* * *

When they got back to school, the whole school was celebrating the winning. The building was plastered with posters and Sam was treated liked a hero. Everyone in the school wanted to talk to him and some even asked him to pose for a wefie. He couldn't even find Mercedes ever since they arrived at school because he was bombarded by so many people and by the time he had managed to escape the crowd, his girlfriend was nowhere to be seen. During lunch time – after escaping from the people who were hounding him at the cafeteria, Sam decided to just spend a quiet time in the auditorium. He wanted to meet Mercedes but he knew that with the attention that the students paid at him at the moment, it was impossible. He sighed as he laid down on the couch at the backstage of the auditorium. His stomach growled and he was definitely hungry. Sam reached for his bag and searched for any food in it but to no avail. He sighed sadly.

"Here"

Sam looked up when he heard the sweet voice and on reflex, a wide smile plastered on his face. He looked at the paper bag in Mercedes' hand. Instead of reaching to take the bag, he reached and hugged her waist and pulled her to him.

"I miss you. It has been a long day!" he mumbled as he rested his head on her shoulder – inhaling her smell. Mercedes chuckled as he kissed his temple.

"I thought you like all the attention" she said. Sam pouted.

"It's suffocating" he uttered. Mercedes took out the sandwich that she had prepared from the paper bag and handed it to Sam.

"I made us lunch today" she said as she offered it to him. With a wide smile, Sam took it and began eating it. Mercedes smiled as she ate her own sandwich while looking at Sam devouring his.

"What?" Sam asked as he looked at her.

"Just - you look adorable when you eat" she said, chuckling. Sam rolled his eyes.

"I am adorable" he said, smugly - making Mercedes laugh.

"Dork" she said. Sam smiled.

"I am your dork" he replied.

"That you are" she said. Mercedes reached for his hand caressed it.

"You are so famous today that I barely have you for myself" she said, kissing his hand. Sam sighed. He put down his sandwich and took her small hands in his. He brought them to his lips and kissed them.

"Hopefully it will come down tomorrow. I had enough of the attention today"

"Me too. I lost count of how many thirsty hoes were surrounding you. Kurt and I had to remind them of their place!" Mercedes pouted. Sam chuckled. He kissed her deeply.

"I wish I could watch it. I bet you must look hot when you did it"

"Hush, you! I am always hot!"

"Indeed, you are. So, why waste time with talking? I better show you how much your hotness is turning me on" Sam whispered as he kissed her jaw and nibbling her earlobe. Mercedes moaned when she felt his touches on her body. Slowly, she wrapped her hand around Sam's neck and played with his hair. They were totally lost in each other as they made out in the auditorium.

* * *

Kurt rolled his eyes when he saw Mercedes walked into the class. Her lips seemed to be swollen and her lipstick was smeared and her hair seemed like it was did in a hurry.

"It seems like Trouty had devoured you during the break" Santana who was sitting behind Kurt said, followed by snickers from Tina and Kurt.

"I was worried for nothing when I didn't see you during lunch break. Apparently you were shacking up with Sam" Kurt said.

"We're not doing anything!" Mercedes said.

"Judging from your appearance, I'd say that you did do something with him" Tina chimed in. Mercedes huffed.

"We're just - urm - making out. Nothing more" she explained. "Besides, Sam and I - we  _haven't_  had sex yet"

The last statement from Mercedes made her three friends froze and they stared at her. Santana and Tina - who was sitting behind her and Kurt left their places and went to sit next to her.

"What do you mean by that?" Kurt asked, curious. Mercedes bit her lower lip.

"Like I said, we  _never_  done it. Sex, I mean!" she explained. Santana's eyes were as wide as saucers. All three pairs of eyes were staring at Mercedes. It was Kurt who broke the silence that had taken over.

"Seriously? I can't believe it! You guys seem to be all over each other and I was pretty sure I saw Sam pulled you into the janitor closet one time!"

"Yeah, all those janitor closet's trips. What did you guys do?" Tina asked, curious. Mercedes let out a heavy sigh.

"Making out! What else should we do?"

"A quickie!" Santana said like it was the most obvious thing.

"People make out at the hallway - like what Finn and Rachel always did!" Tina added. Mercedes rolled her eyes.

"Well, that's not us. Besides, Sam and I - we did kiss in the hallway. The closet is for something more - urm - risky"

"Okay, that's enough of closet talk!" Kurt said. He looked at Mercedes. "Now, do you want to have sex with Sam or not?" he asked, without beating around the bush. Mercedes thought about it and then looked at her friends who were expecting her answer.

"Honestly? Yes! But, I don't think I am ready yet. Losing the V-card is something serious - for  _me_ , at least"

"You're right. Besides, it is not for us to meddle with" Tina said, staring at Kurt and Santana. "It is something private that should be deal by Sam and Mercedes -  _without_  any interference" she gave Kurt and Santana a warning looks. They rolled their eyes.

"Don't worry. We're not going to do anything" Santana said, dismissing Tina's stares.

* * *

The short talk that she had with Tina, Kurt and Santana seemed to linger in her mind. Mercedes let out a sigh. She never thought about sex, to be honest. She and Sam always fooling around, making out and it seemed to just be that. He never raise out the sex topic and neither did she. Sometimes, the making out did get heavy and somehow, they both knew when to stop. Sure, she did catch Sam discreetly trying to hide his erection but she thought nothing about it. Sam is a boy. It is normal for boys to get aroused - that was what she always thought. Now, thinking back about everything, she might have overlooked it. The bell rung and Mercedes stood up and opened the door. She was greeted by a sight of smiling Sam - holding two bags full with snacks and drinks. He leaned down and kissed her lips before he walked into the house and went straight to the den.

"So, we're going to start with the 1989 Batman movies" Sam said.

"Sure. I'll go and take the popcorn. You can start the movie" Mercedes said as she went to the kitchen and took the two bowls of popcorn that she had prepared. She returned to the den and sat next to Sam. He wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her closer. They cuddled while watching the movie. Sam's attention was fully on the screen - immersing himself into the movie, while Mercedes couldn't concentrate. She was curious and she got to know the answer. She took the remote controller and hit the pause button.

"I have something to ask" she said before Sam managed to protest. Sam frowned and stared at his girlfriend. She's been acting quite weird ever since he arrived. He started to think about the week - if he had done something and he honestly couldn't find anything.

"What do you think about sex?"

Sam definitely didn't think that she would ask about sex. He almost sprayed Mercedes with the soda that he was drinking.

"Sex? What about it?" he asked, confused.

"Do you want to have sex with me?"

"W-wh-what?!" Words failed him and he was sure that might get brain aneurysm as he stared at Mercedes.

"Sam, you heard me. Do you want to have sex with me?"

Sam shook himself out of the stupor and nodded. "Of course I want to! What kind of question is that? Why so sudden?" he asked. Sam was definitely confused. He thought about the packs of condom that Dwight had generously gave to him.

"What if I tell you that I am not ready yet?" Mercedes asked. She was playing with her fingers - eyes casting down. Sam finally got the answer to the sudden question and interest about sex. He smiled and reached for her hands.

"Then, we wait. There's no need to rush" he said. Mercedes seemed surprised with his answer.

"Baby, relationship is not about sex. For me, anyway. Sex is just a tiny part of it. So, if you said that you're not ready yet, we'll wait until we both ready. Besides, your V-card is something precious and so does mine. I'm not pressuring you in doing something just because everyone around us is doing it. We take it one at a time"

"W-wait... you're a virgin too?" Mercedes asked. Sam chuckled.

"I gave you a beautiful speech and that's all you got from it?"

"No. I heard everything and I understood. But ..."

"Yeah, I am a virgin too" he said, nodding. Mercedes seemed confused.

"But, I saw a bunch of condom packs in your drawer"

"That's my dad's doing. He bought me a bunch of them when he gave me a talk after he caught me staring at you from my room" Sam explained. His ears were red due to embarrassment. Mercedes laughed.

"Oh my god! Dwight is too much!"

"So, happy now? Stop thinking about it. It'll happen when it is time" Sam said. Mercedes smiled and nodded.


	16. Caught

The Glee club was busy finishing the touch for their state championship competition, but it didn't stop Kurt and Santana from prodding Mercedes about her love life - despite Tina constant warning. Mercedes just ignored her friends but they were nothing but persistent.

"Did you guys talk about it?" Kurt asked, curiously. Mercedes sighed and nodded.

"And?" Santana said, waiting for the explanation. Mercedes took her water tumbler and drank it before wiping the sweat of her face and neck.

"Come on, Cedes! You're killing us! Tell us the details! Are you going to give him the V-card or not?" Santana said, impatiently. She hated the curiousity.

"No"

"No? What do you mean by no?" Surprisingly, the question came from Tina. Kurt and Santana looked at her and smirk.

"I thought you don't want to know?" Kurt asked sarcastically as he crossed his hands and brought them to his chest. Tina rolled her eyes.

"Her answer pique my curiosity!" she huffed.

"Oh, shut up both of you!" Santana demanded. Her eyes were fixed on Mercedes. "Explain, young lady!" she said. Mercedes let out a sigh.

"There's nothing to explain. We talked about it and both of us decided to just go slow. Whenever we feel like we're ready, we'll jump that bridge! Besides, Sam already knows that I am waiting for marriage and he has no problem with it"

"That's great!" Tina chimed in, nodding her approval.

"I don't know how you can make out with that sex sculpture and manage to control yourself - but as long as he makes you happy, I am happy for you" Kurt added.

"That puzzles me too but I bet the cold shower does help sometimes. Just remember one thing. When the time comes, enjoy it and do not overthink. After that, remember to share all the details with me!"

"Santana!" Tina and Kurt shouted. She ignored their frown and shrugged her shoulders.

"I just want to know if Trouty sex skills match his Greeks sex statue's body" she said. Mercedes just let out a heavy sigh and decided to ignore her friend.

* * *

Sam and Mercedes sat and cuddled on the Jones' huge couch as they watched the latest Criminal Minds episodes. Somehow, in the middle of watching the BAU team discussed about the unsub, Sam's hands had wandered on Mercedes' soft body and they were caressing it. She let out a low sigh and moaned when Sam's hands began to wonder above her waist. She turned her body so that they were facing each other and began trailing kisses on his face and moving downward to his neck. She sucked and licked Sam's neck - marking him. Sam groaned when she started nibbling on his earlobe and her small hands caressing his hard chest.

"Babe, we need to stop!" Sam whispered harshly. Mercedes whined as she began kissed him deeply.

"Sweetheart -," Sam groaned, trying his best to stop himself. His hands had wandered toward her full and soft breast. Mercedes groaned when she felt Sam's hands on her breasts. Sam stopped all of his movement when he realised what he had done. They stared at each other - face flushed.

"I - I'm sorry! It just -," Sam bit his tongue. He felt guilty for his lost of control.

"Don't be" Mercedes said softly, kissing him. "You told me to stop but I refuse"

"But -,"

Mercedes smiled. "Don't worry, babe. Besides, maybe it is time for us to move to the next step" she said.

"You mean, sex?"

"No. Something like under the clothes? I mean - I like it when you touch my booty. But I also like it when you touch my breasts just now"

"I like the feel of them on my hands too" Sam said, grinning. He definitely didn't lie. Mercedes chuckled. Sam leaned down and caught her lips again. His hands roamed on her voluptuous body and they rested on their bountiful breasts - caressing and squeezing them.

* * *

Janine and Mary who just got back from their monthly shopping trip walked to the front door of the Jones' house. They had decided to enjoy a tea time without the disturbance of their husbands and children.

"I think Dev and Dwight haven't come home yet. His car is not here" Janine said as she looked around the front yard.

"I thought Cedes and Sam went to watch a movie" Mary mumbled when she noticed her son's truck park near the entrance of the Jones' house.

"Maybe they got back early" Janine said. She opened the door and both of them walked into the house. However, their steps halted when they heard a loud moaning coming from the den. They frowned as they looked at each other. Both women followed the sound and were greeted with the image of their children on the couch - their bodies almost melted into one.

"Samuel Alexander Evans!" Mary shouted - making the two teenagers stopped their mauling of each other's bodies. Their appearances were totally disheveled. Sam's hands were under Mercedes' blouse and her hands were on Sam's topless body. Janine cleared her throat and raised her eyebrow as she pointed to their hands' position. As if they were touching some scorching hot pot, both of them immediately withdrew their hands and brought them behind their backs. None of the teens was able to look at their mothers' in the eyes. Sam's face was deep red.

"I think I need to sit" Mary said. Janine agreed with her best friend. They sat on the love seat across the couch which Sam and Mercedes were sitting and stared at the embarrassed teenagers.

"You're lucky that it was us who caught you. I don't know what would happen to Sam if it is Devon who see that" Janine said. Mary nodded. Her baby boy might be dead already if Devon saw what had been transpired between both of them.

"Mom, we -,"

"Save it, Sammy boy. I have nothing against it. She's your girlfriend and I do understand that as a teenage boy, your hormone is all over the place. You can make out as much as you want as long as Mercedes gives her consent and you treat her with respect" Mary said.

"That's right. Just, next time you want to do anything sexual or arousing or whatever, make sure that you stay away from my couch. You can do anything you want in your room, Mimi! I don't your love juices all over my couch!"

"Momma!" Mercedes yelled in shocked - totally embarrassed. "We didn't do anything!" she said.

Janine and Mary raised their eyebrows and looked at their children skeptically.

"We're not blind and we're pretty sure about what had transpired between both of you just now" Mary said.

"We just - I - only touch her boob-"

"Sam Evans, I don't want to hear about your sexual act with my daughter. What is it you youngsters always said? TMI? Too much information. Just make sure to stay away from my couch next time you get carry away. Now, go and clean up or whatever. You look a total mess. Your father will be home any minutes now, missy!"

"Oh, one more thing. Please make sure you always practise safe sex. None of us want to be a grandmother yet" Mary added. The two youngster just looked down and walked away without looking at their mothers' eyes. As soon as Sam and Mercedes were out of shot, both ladies burst out laughing.

"Gosh, Janine! Sam's ears were as red as tomato just now!" Mary said, still laughing. Janine just shook her head.

"Dwight was right. Embarrassing the kids is very fun! No wonder he really likes doing it" she said. Mary rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, he really enjoys it that sometimes I am sure the kids really have enough of it. They really hate it when he does it" she said.

"I really hope Devon will lighten up a bit. You know, if he sees what we just saw, I am very sure that he will get a heart attack. Because to him, Mercedes is just his baby girl"

"I totally get it. Dwight can be a fool in handling Sam and Stevie. However, when it comes to Stacy, I am sure that he'll be just like Dev"

* * *

"Gosh, Sammy! I am so embarrassed!" Mercedes whined as she hid her face on her pillow.

"Me too, sweetheart. They caught us when my hands were on your boobs!" Sam added. He was lying down on her bed - minds still reeling the moment their mothers walked in on them.

"We need to find someplace new for making out. The house is not safe anymore. We're lucky that it was my mom. If my dad who caught us? Ugh, I don't want to even think about it.

"Me too, babe. I am sure that I will be dead by now if it was your father" Sam said. He got up and sat on the bed. "Now, let's get ourselves presentable because I am very sure that I heard the munchkins' voices and I am pretty sure that the dads are here" he said as he helped Mercedes to get up. Both of them went downstairs and joined the family. Both Sam and Mercedes couldn't really look at their mothers so, they decided to focus on their fathers. Mary and Janine discreetly hid their smiles from their children when they exchanged looks.

"So, Dwight and I had talked about this and we decided that the whole family will go and spend the weekend at the Evans' lake house in Kentucky after we go and support Sam and Cedes' Regional competition" Devon explained.

"The lake house?! Awesome!" Sam said excitedly. Their family's lake house was definitely one of his favourite places.

"We thought you guys would want to relax after the competition. Besides, it has been awhile since we the last time we go there" Dwight added, chuckling at his son's reaction.

"You're going to love it there, Mimi! The place is beautiful!" Sam said jubilantly.

* * *

The Glee Club huddled in their green room while waiting for their turn to perform. Sam was a ball of nerve. He would lead the male members for a male only group performance. He kept on pulling Mike aside to sneak in some last minutes dance practice. Mercedes shook her head as she kept her eyes on her boyfriend. Decided that she had seen enough, she walked to the corner of the room - where Mike was showing Sam the dance moves. She touched Mike's shoulder - making him stopped.

"Do you mind if I talk to Sam for a moment?" she said. Mike shook his head and excused himself. Mercedes took the coat and Sam's dress shirt that he had put on the chair and pulled him away from their friends.

"You know, Kurt might kill you for throwing around these costume if he didn't notice how nervous you are" Mercedes said as she helped Sam to put on his costume. Sam let out a sigh.

"Do you see how many people are there? What if I make some mistakes? What if I ruin -,"

Mercedes kissed his lips before he managed to finish his words.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Relax" she said, patting his shoulders as she helped him put his bowtie.

"Easy for you to say. You open your mouth and everybody falls in love with you" he said, pouting. "What if they throw some rotten tomatoes at me when they see me performing?"

"Sammy! That's absurd!" Mercedes chuckled. She brought her arms to his shoulder and wrapped them around his neck as she pulled him closer to her - eyes; staring straight into his.

"You're going to do great and they will love you. Instead of rotten tomatoes, they might throw roses toward you later" Mercedes said before she leaned down and kisses him deeply. They heard the announcement calling for the New Directions to get ready. "Now, go and charm the whole audience - just like you captivated me with your charming self" she said. Sam nodded and kissed her one more time as they walked to join their friends.

* * *

 


	17. When You Believe

 

* * *

Sam took a deep breath as they were called. They did the circle and went to get ready. Mercedes kissed him before she went back to her position. He closed his eyes and took a very deep breathe and exhaled it slowly to calm his nerves. The curtain being left out and he started singing I can't Help It by Michael Jackson. He strummed his guitar and belted the song with all his heart.

[1st Verse]

Looking In My Mirror

Took Me By Surprise

I Can't Help But See You

Running Often Through My Mind

[2nd Verse]

Helpless Like A Baby

Sensual Disguise

I Can't Help But Love You

It's Getting Better All The Time

[Chorus]

I Can't Help It If I Wanted To

I Wouldn't Help It Even If I Could

I Can't Help It If I Wanted To

I Wouldn't Help It, No

[Chorus]

I Can't Help It If I Wanted To

I Wouldn't Help It Even If I Could

I Can't Help It If I Wanted To

I Wouldn't Help It, No

[3rd Verse]

Love To Run My Fingers

Softly While You Sigh

Love Came And Possessed You

Bringing Sparkles To Your Eyes

[4th Verse]

Like A Trip To Heaven

Heaven Is The Prize

And I'm So Glad I Found You Girl

You're An Angel In Disguise

[Chorus]

I Can't Help It If I Wanted To

I Wouldn't Help It Even If I Could

I Can't Help It If I Wanted To

I Wouldn't Help It, No

And I'm So Glad I Found You Girl

You're An Angel In Disguise

[Chorus]

I Can't Help It If I Wanted To

I Wouldn't Help It Even If I Could

I Can't Help It If I Wanted To

I Wouldn't Help It, No

[Repeat To Fade]

It wasn't hard for Sam to get into the song and sang with all his heart. The song reminded him of his feeling toward his girlfriend and it was the main reason he chose it as his solo. After he had finished his performance, Santana and Mercedes took the stage with their duet performance. They had chosen When you Believe.

Many nights we've prayed

With no proof anyone could hear

In our hearts, a hopeful song

We barely understood

Now we are not afraid

Although we know there's much to fear

We were moving mountains long

Before we knew we could, oh yes

[1] - There can be miracles when you believe

Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill

Who knows what miracles you can achieve

When you believe, somehow you will

You will when you believe

Oh yeah, in this time of fear

When prayer so often proves in vain

Hope seems like the summer birds

Too swiftly flown away

Yet now I'm standing here

My heart so full I can't explain

Seeking faith and speaking words

I never thought I'll say

[Repeat 1]

They don't always happen when you ask

And it's easy to give in to your fears

But when you're blinded by your pain

Can't see the way, get through the rain

A small but still, resilient voice

Says hope is very near, oh

[Repeat 1]

You will when you

You will when you believe

Just believe

I believe, I believe

Just believe

You will when you believe

After that, all of the Glee Club member took place for their group performance where they performed the mash up of Katy Perry's The Teenage Dream and Last Friday Night. Their performance had ended with a standing ovation from the audiences. Sam went to find and hugged Mercedes as they held their hands together and walked back to the green room.

"Guys, that was amazing! You guys blew up the hall!" Mr Schue said as he congratulated them for their amazing work.

* * *

"Do you think we're going to win?" Mercedes whispered to Sam as they watched the Warbler's performance among the crowd. Sam smiled at her peck her lips.

"Baby, you and Santana's performance was awesome! You guys killed it! Besides, most of them use the same voice over and over again. Us? We had the variety of performances. My guess? We have this in the bag already. The judges just don't want to disappoint the others. That's why they didn't stop the competition and hand us the trophy" he said. Mercedes raised her eyebrows at Sam.

"Conceited, much? she said sarcastically. Sam shook his head.

"Just confident. Besides, the other teams don't have you and your voice with them" he said as stared into her eyes - making her blush.

"Sweet talker" she sassed. Sam chuckled. "Nah, just saying the truth" he said as he leaned and caught her lips with his.

"Ugh, get a room!" Santana barked from behind them.

"Awww, let them be! It's so sweet!" Kurt said. Santana rolled her eyes. "It's nauseating" she snapped at Kurt.

* * *

Sam was right. They won and secured their ticket to the National competition. Mary, Dwight, Devon and Janine congratulated them. Stacy and Stevie ran and hugged their brother and Mercedes when they saw the teens emerged from the hall.

"This calls for celebration! So, dinner on me!" Dwight said. The Glee Club's members cheered. They hopped the bus and went to the nearest restaurant. They settled down and ordered their food.

"I would like to make a toast!" Dwight said. He stood up and raised up his glass. "First of all, I would like to congratulate all of you kids for an outstanding performance on that stage tonight. You guys were amazing, vibrant and awesome! Then, to my boy who definitely made the whole family proud with his solo performance. Son, you were spectacular! Last but not least, to the amazing duet! Mercedes and Santana, your performance gave me chills! Congratulations, once again!"

The Glee Club's member cheered as they joined in the toast. They ate to their heart content. Mr. Schue thanked Dwight for the dinner, and so did the other kids before they boarded the bus.

"So, where are you going?" Tina asked nosily.

"Sam's family lake house" Mercedes explained.

"Ohhh, a lake house! It must've been romantic!" Kurt squealed. Mercedes chuckled.

"Honey, the family will be there too. What so romantic about it?" she said. Kurt rolled his eyes at her.

"Whatever! Your family doesn't really care about it. Besides, they totally approved you and him together. I bet they don't even bat their eyes if they saw you two kissing or make out" he said.

"My dad still not happy but the Evans seems really cool about it"

"Dwight seems like a really cool guy. A total DILF I would say" Kurt said as he eyed Dwight who was talking with Mr Schue.

"Are you interested in my dad, Kurt?" Sam asked, startling him.

"No! Why would I do that? I'm - I'm just saying that he's hot. That's all"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just don't let dad hears that. He would be gloating about it" he said. Tina and Mike laughed.

"Geez, your dad is really cool, man!" Mike said.

"He also good in embarrassing you too" Sam grumbled while Mercedes laughed.

"Okay, kids! Let's go!" Devon shouted. Sam and Mercedes said goodbye to their friends and went toward their family's car.

* * *

After a long drive, they finally arrived at the lake house. Mercedes was definitely in awe with the surrounding. The house was surrounded with nature. The whole street up to the house were donned with trees. The house was big. The wall was painted in pastel purple - giving a calmness for whoever laid their eyes on it. Sam excitedly jumped out of the car, followed with Stevie and Stacy. They took their bags as Mary unlocked the door. Dwight and Devon took out all the bags and luggage that they had brought into the house. Mercedes looked around and she was immediately fell in love with the interior of the house. It was simple, yet elegant - exactly like Mary Evans. Half of the living room was covered with glass walls and a sliding door which led to the backyard. Mercedes noticed the lake actually situated at the end of the backyard. There was a big tree at the corner of the backyard with a swing on it.

"Do you like it?"

She heard Sam's voice from behind her as he sneaked his arms around her waist. She leaned back into him and nodded.

"I love it" she whispered. Sam smiled as he kissed her temple. He turned her toward him and brought his lips to her - locking them in a kiss. Their moment was interrupted by Stevie and Stacy singing.

_Mercedes and Sam sitting in the tree_

_K-i-s-s-i-n-g!_

_First comes love._

_Then comes marriage._

_Then comes baby* in the baby carriage,_

_Sucking his thumb,_

_Wetting his pants,_

_Doing the hula, hula dance!_

"What baby? Nobody making a baby in my watch!" Devon's booming voice startled them - making them jumped apart.

"Oh, oh" Stacy said, giggling as she watched Devon walked into the living room.

"Go and take all the things upstairs, Sam!" Devon said as he stared at Sam. Sam quickly went and took the bags. as Devon looked at him before he turned his eyes onto his daughter. "Baby girl, bring you bags into your room. You're bunking with Stacy"

"Yay! I'm going to sleep with you, Cedes!" Stacy said, jumping in joy. Mercedes couldn't help but chuckled at her.

"Come on! Let's bring all of our things into the room. We can help each other unpack!" she said. Stacy jumps around as she followed Mercedes to their room.


	18. I Love You

Sam lay down on his back. Eyes wide awake, staring at the ceiling. Stevie had already deep in his slumber next to him. He groaned when his little brother turned around in his sleep and his leg landed on Sam's stomach. Sam carefully lifted Stevie's leg and put it on the bed. He slowly moved and got down the bed, making sure that Stevie didn't wake up while doing so. He tip-toed to the door and gently opened the door and closed it. Sam walked down the stairs to the living room. He wanted to go and called Mercedes but decided against it. He smiled when he saw the full moon on the sky. Sam sat near the glass door and looked up the sky. The lake house was Sam's most favourite place to visit. He would stay up and watched the moon at night, every time his family stayed there. There were times that he sat and stared at the moon - daydreaming about his reunion with Mercedes or their future together.

"Sam?" A small voice behind him shook him out of his reverie. He turned and saw that Mercedes was staring at him. He smiled at her and gave her his hand. Sam pulled her toward him once she held his hand. They sat on the floor together - Mercedes was resting her back on Sam's chest as she sat between his legs. He had enveloped her in his arms as they contently watch the moon together.

"This is romantic" Mercedes said as she gave out a content sigh. Sam hummed his response.

"I use to do this every time we are here. There's an indescribable calmness every time I sit here and stare at the moon" he said. He tightened his hold around her waist. "I used to think about us, you know"

"Really?" Mercedes said, curiously. Sam nodded. He nuzzled her neck and kissed her cheek.

"About our reunion. How you would act toward me, and sometimes -"

"So, did any of your thoughts come true?" Mercedes asked. Sam chuckled and shook his head.

"In my thoughts, you will always be happy to see me again - your Sammy, your best friend! What really happened totally surprise me! I never knew that you hate me so much back then" he said, laughing. Mercedes pouted.

"Hey! You traumatised me! It was a logical reason to hate you! I almost got a panic attack when I knew that you would be moving back, that I had to run to Kurt's and stayed there for dinner!"

Sam laughed. "Well, at least I did leave an impact!" he said as he pulled her closer to him. Mercedes playfully smacked his arms as she joined his laugh. Silence engulfed them as they stared at the captivating night view.

"Sammy" Mercedes said after a long silence. She turned to look at him.

"Hmmm?" Sam smiled as he caressed her cheek.

"I love you"

Sam's eyes went wide once he heard it. A moment later, a wide smile appeared on his face as he cupped Mercedes' face and kissed her senseless.

"I love you too, Mercedes Jones" he said as he rested his head on her temple - staring into her deep almond colour eyes. "I love you since years ago; ever since I know what love is" he whispered as he trailed kisses on her beautiful face. Mercedes brought her arms around Sam's neck and kissed his plump lips.

* * *

Devon raised his eyebrows when Sam walked into the dining room with extra giddiness surrounding him. His smile was wide as he greeted everyone with too much cheerfulness that alerted all the daddy sensor in Devon. He eyed the teen as he wished everyone good morning and kissed his mother, Stacy and Janine. Even Dwight seemed taken aback with his son's springy steps.

"What's got into you? Why so cheerful?" Stevie asked. Sam took a bagel and spread some cream cheese on it. He bit into his bagel.

"I'm happy! Besides, today is a great day!" Sam said as he grin widely at his younger brother. Devon eyed his daughter. She looked at Mercedes who was eating her pancake. She looked like normal, but Devon can detect the giddiness that Mercedes seems to exude. He tilted his head as he watched the young couple. Devon frowned as he noticed the stolen smiles and glances that were change between them. He made eye contact with Dwight who seemed to notice the weird atmosphere that Sam and Mercedes were exuding.

"Did you break my girl's crown?" Devon asked. Sam gave him a confuse look. Mercedes dropped her forks as she heard the question.

"Devon Jones!" Janine cried out. Devon gave an innocent look to his wife as if asking 'What did I do wrong?' Mercedes groaned as she pushed her chair and ran away. Sam, still confused, decided to run after her, but he was stopped by Devon's booming voice that asked him to not move. Janine and Mary groaned as they observed Devon.

"Stacy, Stevie, take whatever you want to take and go eat in the living room" Dwight instructed. The two kids did as they were told and excitedly went to the living room with a plate full of toasts and pancakes.

"So, Sam Evans" Devon started. He stared at Sam and it made the young boy gulped down his saliva in fear. "Be honest with me, son. What happened last night between you and my precious daughter. Did you take her crown away from her?"

"Crown? I never see her crown"

"What Devon meant, did you and Mercedes have sex last night? The crown is his twisted way of referring to her virginity. Did you take my girl's V-Card?" Janine asked. She didn't agree with her husband's method, but she was curious.

"No!" Sam said, shaking his head.

"Are you sure? I mean, you do seem to have extra rhythm in your steps today and you looked extremely cheerful just now" Dwight added.

"Yes! I was happy because we finally told each other the 'I love you' phrase last night!" Sam said. He can definitely see the look of relief on the parents' faces. "Besides, do you guys think we're going to have sex with you guys being under the same roof?"

"You better keep my daughter's crown until her wedding's night, boy!" Devon groaned. Sam kept his mouth shut. He would never give any agreement to that statement. He was barely able to keep his lust at bay with Mercedes nowadays and he didn't want to make an empty promise.

"Okay, Sam. I think my husband is satisfied to know that you weren't breaking anything last night. Why don't you go and check on her? I'm sure she is upset with her daddy" Janine said as she patted Sam on his back. Without any hesitation, Sam jumped out of the chair and went out to look for Mercedes.

* * *

Sam smiled as he saw his girlfriend on the swing. He fastened his steps and went to push her slowly as he stood behind her.

"Penny for your thought?" he asked as he kept on pushing the swing slowly.

"I guess they hold you inside there to ask if I still have my crown or not?" Mercedes asked. Sam chuckled as hold the swing - made it stop before he went and sat in front of Mercedes. He held her hand and rested their hands on her knees.

"You guess rightly" he said, chuckling. Mercedes groaned.

"I hope my dad will stop embarrassing me!" she whined.

"I guess, partly it was my fault too. I must looked like a fool when I came down for the breakfast, that I made Devon Jones' weird senses tingled or something"

Mercedes laughed.

"I bet he made you promise to let me keep my V-card?"

Sam chuckled and nodded. "But, it is your choice, you know. I won't do anything to influence your decision about your V-card. Well, maybe I keep on kissing you or turning you on, but it will be your decision either to give it to me or not"

Mercedes caressed his cheeks as she leaned down and kissed his soft lips. "I promise to tell you when I am ready and I will keep my promise, Sammy. It's you. Nobody else. I'm sure of it"

"You're the one for me too, baby" Sam whispered as they kissed - sealing the promise of togetherness.

* * *

Hello! Sorry that it took so long for me to update this! This mark the end of the Devil Spawn and his girlfriend. I might write an epilogue for this story later.

Thank you to those who stay with this story since the beginning. Thank you to all the reviews and the favourite and follows. Thank you so much!

Samcedes forever!


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